##¶@@=*-,.                                          .,-*=@@¶##
££*\^~«:.¨                                          ¨.:«~^\*££
#%*=,¨..¨,                                          ,¨..¨,=*%#
###&$§=«,.                                          .,«=§$&###
#@#@£*;~:.                                          .:~;*£@#@#
###£*$=»..                 statuette                ..»=$*£###
##@@&%:~:¨                                          ¨:~:%&@@##
&%:»~.¨,.. §$$$£%§§£$%%$$%%~«~-»~=»$$££§$$¤%@£*££§£ ..,¨.~»:%&
#¤#&¤†;=^,                 §£¤$§&%&$                ,^=;†¤&#¤#
#££*=.¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨.=*££#
##@¶£$^~-, forests  around my childhood home. thick ,-~^$£¶@##
#@†~=-«:., 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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