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