#¤£*$:^-~¨                                          ¨~-^:$*£¤#
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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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###¤@%/«,,                                          ,,«/%@¤###
£%»,,¨.¨..                                          ..¨.¨,,»%£