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