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