@#£¤§=*~~¨                                          ¨~~*=§¤£#@
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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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