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