§£§¤&††~,.                                          .,~††&¤§£§
#@#@£*;=,¨                                          ¨,=;*£@#@#
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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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##¶£@†\=^¨                                          ¨^=\†@£¶##