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,¨,,~«\$£#                statuette                 #£$\«~,,¨,
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,^~=%£§@## %%**£§@%&%*%&@%%»~=~»»»«¤¤@§¤§%£¤%¤¤%&$£ ##@§£%=~^,
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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.                ##¶#$%†»,,
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¨¨,¨.,~^=£                                          £=^~,.¨,¨¨
,.,.¨~=~=# the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight #=~=~¨.,.,
..¨,¨..=^# they had  been  a swampworld with sylvan #^=..¨,¨..
..»^%££### water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. ###££%^»..
..-:%&¤£## you could've found me  wallowing  around ##£¤&%:-..
.:-:%$£#@# 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.      @#$%*~:~¨.
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¨¨,¨^*$##§                    \                     §##$*^¨,¨¨
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.,=;%@§### somethings  moving  in  the  grass. it's ###§@%;=,.
,,=:†%@@#@ invisible  to  my eyes but  i  can  feel @#@@%†:=,,
,,.¨^=$*£@ 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.               ##@#&£$:.¨
.¨¨,,«:%#¶                                          ¶#%:«,,¨¨.
.-«\*¤#@@# then   i  run   east   toward  my  home. #@@#¤*\«-.
.^~==$*§&@                                          @&§*$==~^.
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.¨,~/^=:§¤ i  am not followed, and slow down in the ¤§:=^/~,¨.
,,«^*@&¶## clearing  where you  at  first can  spot ##¶&@*^«,,
¨~»†***$§¶ 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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