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