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