###@%§\~:,                                          ,:~\§%@###
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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 ¨,,.^*=:$#
¤@=%=~..¨,              throw it away.              ,¨..~=%=@¤
##@§§*\=,,                                          ,,=\*§§@##
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&§§$†~~,¨.                                          .¨,~~†$§§&
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§¤%~¨..¨¨,                                          ,¨¨..¨~%¤§