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