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