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