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