##¶£$$†»:,                                          ,:»†$$£¶##
&££££†^«:.                                          .:«^†££££&
#@£@@==«:.                                          .:«==@@£@#
§§=«~.¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨.~«=§§
#£$†*;*=,.                                          .,=*;*†$£#
###@&**»~.                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 .,-=»;†$£@
###¤£*†=-.              throw it away.              .-=†*£¤###
#§¤$:*^,¨¨                                          ¨¨,^*:$¤§#
##@§¤^/=,,                                          ,,=/^¤§@##
#@@§§$*»:,                                          ,:»*$§§@@#
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#££&&%=~~.                                          .~~=%&&££#
##¶&§$;-,.                                          .,-;$§&¶##