##@@£:~:.¨                                          ¨.:~:£@@##
##&&=«-¨,,                                          ,,¨-«=&&##
@£%^~,,,,.                                          .,,,,~^%£@
¤@:~,,¨...                                          ...¨,,~:@¤
£†«,.,¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨,.,«†£
;-,¨,,,.,¨                 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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