#@@¤§^*~~,                                          ,~~*^§¤@@#
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&†-~¨.....                                          .....¨~-†&
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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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@££$§;†»-¨                                          ¨-»†;§$££@