#@@%\-,.,¨                                          ¨,.,-\%@@#
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##£#£=/~:¨                                          ¨:~/=£#£##
@@@@@==«,.                                          .,«==@@@@@
##@@***-,.                                          .,-***@@##
#£@££*^=^¨                statuette                 ¨^=^*££@£#
#@¶¤£$†=-¨                                          ¨-=†$£¤¶@#
#@*=~..¨,¨ *¤%%%$$£*&$£&¤%§»--»-=-~$$$§$§¤@%%££@%££ ¨,¨..~=*@#
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##¶&£%==~¨                                          ¨~==%£&¶##
###@%^^«~, forests around  my childhood home. thick ,~«^^%@###
&§§=†/^»,, pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ,,»^/†=§§&
@#&%»::,¨.       forgotten. wild boars roaming      .¨,::»%&#@
#=-,¨,..,. underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it .,..,¨,-=#
##@¶$†/=~¨ 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.              .,«:†%&#@#
###&&=\-,.                                          .,-\=&&###
####%%\-,,                                          ,,-\%%####
£§£@%/,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,/%@£§£
@%===^.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.^===%@
&¤&§&%=»^.                                          .^»=%&§&¤&
@#@#%%\~-.                                          .-~\%%#@#@