¨,~^=*###@ @###*=^~,¨
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¨,~=$@#### ####@$=~,¨
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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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