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#@&*§†^~~¨ ¨~~^†§*&@#
@$@*;-.,¨¨ statuette ¨¨,.-;*@$@
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##@¤£§;-~, £§*&%$**&%@&¤¤££-~«~«~=»%¤%§@$%@¤££%@*&£ ,~-;§£¤@##
#%£^,¨¨,¨. @£$¤%%&&$ .¨,¨¨,^£%#
##¶§%^^~^. .^~^^%§¶##
@@@£**/~,. 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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##@¶§%/-~, ,~-/%§¶@##
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