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