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