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