#@#§$^*~,. .,~*^$§#@#
###£¤*:«.. ..«:*¤£###
#@@#$$^~^, ,^~^$$#@@#
£@¤&$*\=.¨ ¨.=\*$&¤@£
##@@@%:~-, ,-~:%@@@##
¤$;=;,¨,,, statuette ,,,¨,;=;$¤
@^:^^¨¨,¨. .¨,¨¨^^:^@
#£†=-...¨. &$@§$*&%£%$£§£$$-»--==~-%*$&£%$£%§$§%%&§ .¨...-=†£#
##@££%;»., @%&&£&£&$ ,.»;%££@##
@$%;=,..¨, ,¨..,=;%$@
###&*§*»,. forests around my childhood home. thick .,»*§*##
##@&*%†-., pine arcades that were planted and ,.-†%*&@##
##£&$$;»,¨ 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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