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