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