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