@#§$$-,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,-$$§#@
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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.              ¨-»;%%¤###
##@&*$=«^.                                          .^«=$*&@##
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