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