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