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