£$*«~,..,.                                          .,..,~«*$£
¶#&@¤^:«-,                                          ,-«:^¤@&#¶
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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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@£&%†/:,,.                                          .,,:/†%&£@