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