#@@§§§:«~,                                          ,~«:§§§@@#
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#@@@%%\«.,                                          ,.«\%%@@@#
@@@¤£%=-^.                                          .^-=%£¤@@@
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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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