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