#@#£&^†«.,                                          ,.«†^&£#@#
#@@#%%==,.                                          .,==%%#@@#
##££§%^-,¨                                          ¨,-^%§££##
@*††,¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨,††*@
#@%^«=.,,,                                          ,,,.=«^%@#
£§%%::¨,¨,                 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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#@¤§::-,,,                                          ,,,-::§¤@#