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