##@@£==~:,                                          ,:~==£@@##
##@£¤*†»:.                                          .:»†*¤£@##
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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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