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.-:%@£@###                statuette                 ###@£@%:-.
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,:«**£##@# $@£*%£$@*&£%£&&*«-=~-»~«£££$%¤&§$*$§$%£$ #@##£**«:,
¨~-/%£#§§#                 @&£%$&$%%                #§§#£%/-~¨
,-«\†$@###                                          ###@$†\«-,
¨¨¨¨¨»:*@# forests around  my childhood home. thick #@*:»¨¨¨¨¨
,~~^,~%£%# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #%£%~,^~~,
.¨.,,.«»$¤       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¤$»«.,,.¨.
..¨¨^*§=$# underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it #$=§*^¨¨..
.-~/%&¤£@# is dark  and  moist,  the  canopy having #@£¤&%/~-.
¨-~;^&@@## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##@@&^;~-¨
,¨,:^«=%@@                                          @@%=«^:,¨,
¨:~;$§£#£¶ there's  a river passing  by,  from east ¶£#£§$;~:¨
,^=\§*¤@## to west,  getting broader and deeper and ##@¤*§\=^,
,^=;*§@### slower as it goes. equisetum  grow  just ###@§*;=^,
.,=\^¤#¶@# where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let #@¶#¤^\=,.
,,«/*%#£#@ through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky @#£#%*/«,,
¨~»/*$§###                river bed.                ###§$*/»~¨
,.»\%§£@@#                                          #@@£§%\».,
¨,=:*$£###                     =                    ###£$*:=,¨
..«=^@@###                                          ###@@^=«..
.~=†%£@@@# the riverbanks  reek of  magic.  tonight #@@@£%†=~.
,,-*†*@### they had  been  a swampworld with sylvan ###@*†*-,,
¨~^~†††£§# water,  stone rings  and  floating moss. #§£†††~^~¨
......:*#£ you could've  found me  wallowing around £#*:......
¨^~†§%§@## on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ##@§%§†~^¨
.¨,,..~§¤#                  bitten.                 #¤§~..,,¨.
¨-=:§$£@##                                          ##@£$§:=-¨
,,»*=¤&@## but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ##@&¤=*»,,
¨:«:^†=@&# ground,  in shoulder-high grass, with an #&@=†^:«:¨
.,¨.,:=%@# orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent #@%=:,.¨,.
,:~^=@£#@#      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      #@#£@=^~:,
,,¨~~^-*@#                                          #@*-^~~¨,,
¨^*§@£@###                    =                     ###@£@§*^¨
,.-:*¤####                                          ####¤*:-.,
,,.,~\**£# somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's #£**\~,.,,
¨~-;^*=%§@ invisible  to my eyes  but  i  can  feel @§%=*^;-~¨
,¨.««~~**@ through the ground just how large it is. @**~~««.¨,
,.-†^&####                                          ####&^†-.,
,~~/†%£@## the soil is  muddy. i slip  when  trying ##@£%†/~~,
...^,.»%&¤ to   get  up,   still  looking  at   the ¤&%».,^...
.,»†§$@¤## direction  of  sound  rather than at  my ##¤@$§†»,.
.--:§¤¤#@¶ hands,  who are busy  putting things  in ¶@#¤¤§:--.
.-=;%$§@##               my pockets.                ##@§$%;=-.
..¨.^~»~%§                                          §%~»~^.¨..
¨:=\%*£&@# then   i   run  east   toward  my  home. #@&£*%\=:¨
,~«†§$&¶##                                          ##¶&$§†«~,
¨.»†*@@###                     ;                    ###@@*†».¨
¨^=;†£&###                                          ###&£†;=^¨
,-«†^@&¶@# i am not followed,  and slow down in the #@¶&@^†«-,
,¨..,«*&#£ clearing  where  you at first  can  spot £#&*«,..¨,
,,~/=£&£## the  house,   not  yet  really  in   the ##£&£=/~,,
¨,-/§£&£## backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my ##£&£§/-,¨
¨~~:^$£### radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ###£$^:~~¨
,^~=†@§£@# clay figure i've  never seen  before. it #@£§@†=~^,
¨-=;†*¤@## must  have been  laying in the wet dirt, ##@¤*†;=-¨
¨-~:%%#@¶¶ and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ¶¶@#%%:~-¨
..,.~:^£@@            other belongings.             @@£^:~.,..
.-~=†¤£@##                                          ##@£¤†=~-.
,,~;%£#### it's a  statuette of a girl laying naked ####£%;~,,
¨^=\**§### on   her  stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ###§**\=^¨
¨~~^%$&@@#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #@@&$%^~~¨
..¨,.,^*¤@ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. @¤*^,.,¨..
.^~\^†*$@@                                          @@$*†^\~^.
¨,~/†&#£¶# my mom is  here now. i ask her for  some #¶£#&†/~,¨
..«*^££### particle  board  for it  to dry on,  but ###££^*«..
¨^«:§£%@@# she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to #@@%£§:«^¨
¨¨,¨.../$&              throw it away.              &$/...¨,¨¨
.:~/%*#@##                                          ##@#*%/~:.
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