###@£@%^,.                                          .,^%@£@###
@£$«-.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.-«$£@
###@%$\-^.                                          .^-\$%@###
##@&$=*=-¨                                          ¨-=*=$&@##
@@&†~-,,,,                                          ,,,,-~†&@@
#@@#@^:»,¨                 statuette                ¨,»:^@#@@#
#=%:~^.,¨.                                          .¨,.^~:%=#
##@#¤%\»:, £%£*£*%&%%$@$%£@~»~~-«~-@$$$§%*@%&£§&$$@ ,:»\%¤#@##
@#@@%^*»-.                £%%¤%$$$%                 .-»*^%@@#@
##¶§*%^»-¨                                          ¨-»^%*§¶##
#&$«~.¨¨,. forests  around my childhood home. thick .,¨¨.~«$&#
##££%%;«,, 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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#@£#£*\-,.                                          .,-\*£#£@#