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