£§%†;:...,                                          ,...:;†%§£
#@¶§*%^»,.                                          .,»^%*§¶@#
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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 ¨~~†%%£###
#@#@£$\»,. clay  figure i've  never seen before. it .,»\$£@#@#
#@##£%†~:, must  have been laying in  the wet dirt, ,:~†%£##@#
#@&=~~,.,, and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ,,.,~~=&@#
#¶@@£%/».¨            other belongings.             ¨.»/%£@@¶#
§¤$~=-^^^,                                          ,^^^-=~$¤§
###£@%/~^, it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked ,^~/%@£###
#¤%/~.,..¨ on  her  stomach,  feet   in  the   air, ¨..,.~/%¤#
####@§\=,¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨,=\§@####
#@¶@¤§†~^, freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ,^~†§¤@¶@#
#@£¤£%:=~.                                          .~=:%£¤£@#
####@*/»~. my mom is  here  now. i ask her for some .~»/*@####
&§§@\~=¨,, particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but ,,¨=~\@§§&
#§@%/:==~, she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ,~==:/%@§#
#§££:-¨.¨¨              throw it away.              ¨¨.¨-:££§#
#&%%=~¨,,.                                          .,,¨~=%%&#
#&%=~«-~:,                                          ,:~-«~=%&#
####£††-.,                                          ,.-††£####
###¤¤^:«,,                                          ,,«:^¤¤###
#@#§$§†=^,                                          ,^=†§$§#@#
¶@£&$%;»:¨                                          ¨:»;%$&£@¶