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