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