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