,.«:^$@@@# #@@@$^:«.,
,,,..¨~\$£ £$\~¨..,,,
¨~«\^%@£@# #@£@%^\«~¨
¨,-:†@@#@@ @@#@@†:-,¨
¨.,.~†£&#@ @#&£†~.,.¨
,-»/=£§### 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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