##£¤&%/~,¨                                          ¨,~/%&¤£##
@#@=»¨¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨¨»=@#@
#@#&$*=«-¨                                          ¨-«=*$&#@#
#@§%/~~..¨                                          ¨..~~/%§@#
&¤¤^\=¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨=\^¤¤&
@¶#¤$*:=-¨                 statuette                ¨-=:*$¤#¶@
#@@#$*;~-,                                          ,-~;*$#@@#
@£@*£**=~. ¤%&%$¤¤%£&££$**§»=«=»»-«@$*§§$¤$%%$%$&%% .~=**£*@£@
##@¤%*†»,¨                 $$¤@£%%*§                ¨,»†*%¤@##
@£=-...,,¨                                          ¨,,...-=£@
#@£#&$†-^¨ forests around my  childhood home. thick ¨^-†$&#£@#
##¶&£%;=,, pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ,,=;%£&¶##
#£^:/^.,¨.       forgotten. wild boars roaming      .¨,.^/:^£#
#@#¤%%/~,, underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ,,~/%%¤#@#
@¶¤&@**»-, is  dark  and  moist, the canopy  having ,-»**@&¤¶@
##@@$$;«,¨ 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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####%*=~,.                                          .,~=*%####
##@#%*/»,¨                                          ¨,»/*%#@##
@£%%~-¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨-~%%£@
##@¤%%/«^,                                          ,^«/%%¤@##