#@#§$=†~~.                                          .~~†=$§#@#
£@£§@^=«~¨                                          ¨~«=^@§£@£
#@@£¤*:~,.                                          .,~:*¤£@@#
#¤$£*=,.,.                                          .,.,=*£$¤#
###§$%;~,,                                          ,,~;%$§###
#@@&£%†~,,                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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#§*%»»-¨,.                                          .,¨-»»%*§#
#¤$§*%\=-,                                          ,-=\%*§$¤#