#@@§£§/=:¨                                          ¨:=/§£§@@#
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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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##@££**~,.                                          .,~**££@##
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@@#£%*†»^¨                                          ¨^»†*%£#@@