###@£%*=~¨                                          ¨~=*%£@###
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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.              ,,,-==%=§@
#@££$$†-,.                                          .,-†$$££@#
##£@%§†=,¨                                          ¨,=†§%@£##
###£§%=*».                                          .»*=%§£###
#@¶#$$\«:.                                          .:«\$$#¶@#
#@£§%†:~^.                                          .^~:†%§£@#
@§†»:.,¨,.                                          .,¨,.:»†§@