@#&£$$*»^¨                                          ¨^»*$$£&#@
##@§%§=~~,                                          ,~~=§%§@##
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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 ¨,~.=;£@§#
#£*^$§;=-¨ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ¨-=;§$^*£#
##@#$=:-,.              throw it away.              .,-:=$#@##
£§£†«¨,,¨.                                          .¨,,¨«†£§£
##@^^;*~^,                                          ,^~*;^^@##
§&*§**=~.,                                          ,.~=**§*&§
£##¤£*=-,¨                                          ¨,-=*£¤##£
@¶£†-¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨-†£¶@
###§£%:»^,                                          ,^»:%£§###