££*^:,:,..                                          ..,:,:^*££
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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.              .¨¨.,-~%$£
##£¤*%/=,¨                                          ¨,=/%*¤£##
£@*=\-,..¨                                          ¨..,-\=*@£
@#@#$^†-.¨                                          ¨.-†^$#@#@
###££§†~..                                          ..~†§££###
@§/^.,,.,¨                                          ¨,.,,.^/§@
##@#§=^~,,                                          ,,~^=§#@##