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