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