##£*$*»,,.                                          .,,»*$*£##
@@&^/~,¨,,                                          ,,¨,~/^&@@
££§:-:.,..                                          ..,.:-:§££
¤=*»-¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨-»*=¤
**=..¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨..=**
&%†~~¨¨..,                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 ..^=^%$¤##
¶&£†:»,,.¨ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ¨.,,»:†£&¶
#£%†=,,,.,              throw it away.              ,.,,,=†%£#
¤†:«,.¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨.,«:†¤
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$%\~~.,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,.~~\%$
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@#¤§\~-.¨.                                          .¨.-~\§¤#@
#@¤@%/=-..                                          ..-=/%@¤@#