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