#@@@&*^«^,                                          ,^«^*&@@@#
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#@#@£$\~-¨                                          ¨-~\$£@#@#
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###££$*«,.                 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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