¤$**†«.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.«†**$¤
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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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&#§†:~.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.~:†§#&
£&*;^,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,^;*&£