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