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