#¤£$*=~¨,¨                                          ¨,¨~=*$£¤#
#$=;».,,,,                                          ,,,,.»;=$#
$%;»,...¨,                                          ,¨...,»;%$
£$%^»,..,,                                          ,,..,»^%$£
@&£%:~:,..                                          ..,:~:%£&@
@#&$%;-^.¨                 statuette                ¨.^-;%$&#@
##@¤&§=«-¨                                          ¨-«=§&¤@##
#£§%§=~~., $£§$§$$£¤£*£$¤*§~=~--»-~$*£$$$%%£§%£&&§% ,.~~=§%§£#
#¤%%^=,¨,¨                £$&$%%££%                 ¨,¨,=^%%¤#
¤£†^~-¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨-~^†£¤
$$;~-.¨.,¨ forests around my  childhood home. thick ¨,.¨.-~;$$
£**;«,,.¨, 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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££&^/»^.,,                                          ,,.^»/^&££
#£&§^=~..¨                                          ¨..~=^§&£#
###££=^»,.                                          .,»^=££###