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