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