##@¶§%^=,¨                                          ¨,=^%§¶@##
@¤¤£&%/--,                                          ,--/%&£¤¤@
###£$%:=-¨                                          ¨-=:%$£###
#£%~¨¨..,,                                          ,,..¨¨~%£#
#@@@*$:»-,                                          ,-»:$*@@@#
##@#$^=-:¨                statuette                 ¨:-=^$#@##
#£%=*%;~-¨                                          ¨-~;%*=%£#
@*;~¨¨¨,¨, @£*¤@&§%%$*$£%$$~«~»~»-»£§*@$£$%¤*£§£@¤% ,¨,¨¨¨~;*@
££#¤$†\-^.                £%$*%&§£¤                 .^-\†$¤#££
@¤£@%$;=:,                                          ,:=;$%@£¤@
#%*;\~^¨,. forests around my childhood  home. thick .,¨^~\;*%#
#@@£§%\=:. pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and .:=\%§£@@#
##¤£*=^».,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,.»^=*£¤##
##££§*;«-. underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it .-«;*§££##
#@£&$†;«,¨ 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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@¤%\:,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,:\%¤@