###£$^^~-¨                                          ¨-~^^$£###
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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.                .¨.,^.~=££
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#@@&¤*^»,¨                                          ¨,»^*¤&@@#
@&§$%*;«:, the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight ,:«;*%$§&@
###§@%;~~. 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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