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