##¶&$$/~~,                                          ,~~/$$&¶##
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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. ,-«^§$£###
££*†/,¨¨..                                          ..¨¨,/†*££
##£¤§%†~.. my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ..~†%§¤£##
#£#§§*/~:¨ particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ¨:~/*§§#£#
§%:»=,,.,. she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to .,.,,=»:%§
@£@§¤†^«:,              throw it away.              ,:«^†¤§@£@
###&$*\~..                                          ..~\*$&###
#@£@$%†«,.                                          .,«†%$@£@#
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###¶§$*»-¨                                          ¨-»*$§¶###
#@#@§§\=,¨                                          ¨,=\§§@#@#
@£¶¤£†:»^,                                          ,^»:†£¤¶£@