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