#^$;-..,¨.                                          .¨,..-;$^#
#@#@£§†~,,                                          ,,~†§£@#@#
£*$§».¨,,.                                          .,,¨.»§$*£
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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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#@£§@*^-,.                                          .,-^*@§£@#