###£@*†»~¨                                          ¨~»†*@£###
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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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