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