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