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