#@#&%*/-,,                                          ,,-/*%&#@#
#@@§$§\~:¨                                          ¨:~\§$§@@#
##£&§%†».,                                          ,.»†%§&£##
###£%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%£###
@#¶&£*^-^¨                                          ¨^-^*£&¶#@
@@*;~»,¨..                 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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