#@£@@^=~:.                                          .:~=^@@£@#
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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 .,-†*$£¶@#
¤¤§:†~^¨¨, particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but ,¨¨^~†:§¤¤
§&*-,,.,¨. she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to .¨,.,,-*&§
@@@%=,..,.              throw it away.              .,..,=%@@@
###@§%^*~:                                          :~*^%§@###
#@§&*-~~..                                          ..~~-*&§@#
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##@¤%$*»,,                                          ,,»*$%¤@##
#§=..¨,..,                                          ,..,¨..=§#
&£;=,¨.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.¨,=;£&