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