£†\~.,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,.~\†£
$/«:,¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨,:«/$
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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 ¨..¨^~:$£&
£*/=.,..¨,              throw it away.              ,¨..,.=/*£
%/-,..,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,..,-/%
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*†»,¨,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,¨,»†*
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£*$^«-.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.-«^$*£
@£$*\~~¨,,                                          ,,¨~~\*$£@