#**^-~¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨~-^**#
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#£=:;*-~,¨                                          ¨,~-*;:=£#
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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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¤£$†*;\-^,                                          ,^-\;*†$£¤