#@@&%*\«,.                                          .,«\*%&@@#
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#*$§@%/=,,                                          ,,=/%@§$*#
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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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