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