###£&%%^«,                                          ,«^%%&£###
#@#¤£*\~.,                                          ,.~\*£¤#@#
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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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#§@;..¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨..;@§#