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