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