@¶@@§*:=,¨                                          ¨,=:*§@@¶@
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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.              ,,.¨~~-†£¤
#@#¤*§*-,¨                                          ¨,-*§*¤#@#
####@*^~^,                                          ,^~^*@####
#@#@£*=»:¨                                          ¨:»=*£@#@#
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#@@£%%^«.,                                          ,.«^%%£@@#