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