#@@&£*=»:,                                          ,:»=*£&@@#
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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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#@@§§†*«~,                                          ,~«*†§§@@#
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