#£@#§*^=~,                                          ,~=^*§#@£#
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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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#§£†%»=«~,                                          ,~«=»%†£§#
##£¤%%*«^¨                                          ¨^«*%%¤£##