#&£%:^:,.,                                          ,.,:^:%£&#
§%¤^:..¨,.                                          .,¨..:^¤%§
#@@#£†=»-,                                          ,-»=†£#@@#
#¶&#§*;=,,                                          ,,=;*§#&¶#
#§#¤^».,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.»^¤#§#
###¤£$;~,,                 statuette                ,,~;$£¤###
#¤@$;~¨,.,                                          ,.,¨~;$@¤#
#@#§¤*=~~, £%&**££¤%££$@¤%¤~«»~=--=¤%¤*%&¤%%¤&£@$%£ ,~~=*¤§#@#
@&@=/~-~^¨                 *¤¤@§$*£%                ¨^~-~/=@&@
&$^«~:,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,:~«^$&
#@§**=«,.. forests around my childhood home.  thick ..,«=**§@#
#@#&%*^«., pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ,.«^*%&#@#
##@¶&%§:-¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨-:§%&¶@##
£@/=--,.,¨ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ¨,.,--=/@£
#@##£=;~~, is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having ,~~;=£##@#
#£%/*~¨,.¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨.,¨~*/%£#
##@@%%=-:¨                                          ¨:-=%%@@##
##@§&†=-., there's a  river  passing by, from  east ,.-=†&§@##
£$\^~,,,,¨ 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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