@£#§*%=«,¨                                          ¨,«=%*§#£@
#£%\»«,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,«»\%£#
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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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