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