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