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