#£:,¨..,..                                          ..,..¨,:£#
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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.              ,^»\£@£@##
#@£$=/-¨¨.                                          .¨¨-/=$£@#
&§§†/:..¨.                                          .¨..:/†§§&
@¶£*&§^=^.                                          .^=^§&*£¶@
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#@@@$*=~~.                                          .~~=*$@@@#