§*%*†\««^,                                          ,^««\†*%*§
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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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¤%»=,¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨,=»%¤
@@*%%=~,.¨                                          ¨.,~=%%*@@
£@**=:,.,,                                          ,,.,:=**@£