£#%/=~,~,.                                          .,~,~=/%#£
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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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&*»¨.,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,.¨»*&
@#¶£¤^;«,,                                          ,,«;^¤£¶#@
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##£§*^=-.,                                          ,.-=^*§£##