#@@£§%:»,¨                                          ¨,»:%§£@@#
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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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