#@@¤$*^~..                                          ..~^*$¤@@#
#@*†=«¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨«=†*@#
@@¶&%§†~-¨                                          ¨-~†§%&¶@@
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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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