£##£$†;«^.                                          .^«;†$£##£
#@#&$*^»,.                                          .,»^*$&#@#
###¶&**=,.                                          .,=**&¶###
#@@&$$*«-.                                          .-«*$$&@@#
##@@$*;~,.                                          .,~;*$@@##
##%;~--,..                 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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