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