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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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