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