§%=»-,-¨¨,                                          ,¨¨-,-»=%§
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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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#¤=*%%/«-.                                          .-«/%%*=¤#