##£%*-...¨                                          ¨...-*%£##
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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.              ,-=:§@£&¤@
#£¶¤&%\~,¨                                          ¨,~\%&¤¶£#
#$~^,¨¨.,,                                          ,,.¨¨,^~$#
@&†=,,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,,=†&@
@@$==\:.,¨                                          ¨,.:\==$@@
###££*\~,¨                                          ¨,~\*££###
@$$†~,.,,,                                          ,,,.,~†$$@