##§%§^~,,,                                          ,,,~^§%§##
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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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¤§%†~,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,~†%§¤