££¤*-,¨.,.                                          .,.¨,-*¤££
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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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&£%&£††-,.                                          .,-††£&%£&