,,,~-==*@@ @@*==-~,,,
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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. ##$†,¨,.,.
.:~=§%$¤¤¶ ¶¤¤$%§=~:.
¨,«/*&§@## ##@§&*/«,¨
¨,~††$$†&& &&†$$††~,¨
.-»=§#@### ###@#§=»-.
¨.=:%%@@@# #@@@%%:=.¨
,:»††@#@@# #@@#@††»:,