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