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