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