#*-,¨,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,¨,-*#
##@¤£%*«^,                                          ,^«*%£¤@##
##£¤§%^--¨                                          ¨--^%§¤£##
¶£:^,,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,,^:£¶
#@&*†;~...                                          ...~;†*&@#
@@@¤¤%*«:¨                 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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