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