#@¤&†-»..¨                                          ¨..»-†&¤@#
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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 .-«*=%§&##
###§$†;«,,              throw it away.              ,,«;†$§###
###&$%\=-¨                                          ¨-=\%$&###
#@@@%^*~.,                                          ,.~*^%@@@#
£&$†~,,¨..                                          ..¨,,~†$&£
@§==«~¨¨..                                          ..¨¨~«==§@
#¶§§%=\=~.                                          .~=\=%§§¶#
@¤§/~-.,..                                          ..,.-~/§¤@