#¶#¤£*/~:.                                          .:~/*£¤#¶#
#&$~.,¨,..                                          ..,¨,.~$&#
##£@§%\»^.                                          .^»\%§@£##
##@@%^\«,.                                          .,«\^%@@##
£¤§£*;^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^;*£§¤£
@#$§£§\«.¨                 statuette                ¨.«\§£§$#@
##@£@§:=~,                                          ,~=:§@£@##
£%†=/»~.:, §$§$&§%$$%%&¤$£¤»~~«=~~~%$§%@$§£%&%*§@££ ,:.~»/=†%£
##£@£=:~,,                §¤%$£*¤*¤                 ,,~:=£@£##
£#$§£†/--¨                                          ¨--/†£§$#£
##**=-¨,¨. 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 ,.»=^$¤###
#@#*††-,,, she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ,,,-††*#@#
@@£#%§†-^,              throw it away.              ,^-†§%#£@@
##£&£%=~,.                                          .,~=%£&£##
###@%*/«,.                                          .,«/*%@###
&&£%%~.¨.,                                          ,.¨.~%%£&&
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@¤*,:.,.,,                                          ,,.,.:,*¤@
##@£$%/«,,                                          ,,«/%$£@##