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