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