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