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