@#&$$~¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨~$$&#@
@#£%=\,¨..                                          ..¨,\=%£#@
###@£%=-^,                                          ,^-=%£@###
#@@*---¨¨.                                          .¨¨---*@@#
##£££§^~,,                                          ,,~^§£££##
##*~¨,¨,¨.                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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¶§††\~..¨.                                          .¨..~\††§¶