###&&^^~^¨                                          ¨^~^^&&###
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@#$;^¨,¨.,                                          ,.¨,¨^;$#@
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#@##£$/-.,                 statuette                ,.-/$£##@#
#@@&$^/-^,                                          ,^-/^$&@@#
§*=,.¨¨¨,. %¤££$§$£§§%§£&%&~=--=~~=§*$%$*¤%$%$@£§$% .,¨¨¨.,=*§
###£$*\~,¨                 $%%%$*$££                ¨,~\*$£###
#@@@£%^«,¨                                          ¨,«^%£@@@#
###@&£**=, 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.              .,,,:**&@@
@@@=†:~.¨,                                          ,¨.~:†=@@@
###£&^;=~¨                                          ¨~=;^&£###
##££¤$/~:¨                                          ¨:~/$¤££##
##@§¤%;»-,                                          ,-»;%¤§@##
§¤*~~,,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,,~~*¤§
##§^-~.¨,,                                          ,,¨.~-^§##