###@§*/»-.                                          .-»/*§@###
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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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¶£%=¨,,.,,                                          ,,.,,¨=%£¶
##&$^/«=.,                                          ,.=«/^$&##
@£$*=-,¨.,                                          ,.¨,-=*$£@
#£@¤&=^=,,                                          ,,=^=&¤@£#