.,«=%§&##£ £##&§%=«,.
,.«:*&¤@@# #@@¤&*:«.,
¨.~;†£§£@# #@£§£†;~.¨
.,¨¨,==*§& &§*==,¨¨,.
.~»*§##### #####§*»~.
..:«\/$&¤@ statuette @¤&$/\«:..
.¨¨.^^†&¤§ §¤&†^^.¨¨.
.:»\$%§### ¤£¤¤§£$£¤$%§$&*@«-»«~~«-§$%%%&££&£%£&&£% ###§%$\»:.
.,-:$£§@## *¤%$§$¤£§ ##@§£$:-,.
,,»†$%@£## ##£@%$†»,,
.-»†*¤#@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@#¤*†»-.
.,,¨¨~*&@§ pine arcades that were planted and §@&*~¨¨,,.
,:~/†$##@# 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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