#@@£$†;~,¨ ¨,~;†$£@@#
##@&&§\»,. .,»\§&&@##
#@@&§*†=,¨ ¨,=†*§&@@#
##£&$†/».¨ ¨.»/†$&£##
#@#¤£=*«^. .^«*=£¤#@#
#$:=/~:,,, statuette ,,,:~/=:$#
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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. .--†$%&@##
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#%%$%~¨.¨. ^ .¨.¨~%$%%#
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#@@#$$;~,, the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ,,~;$$#@@#
#¤^^~,.... 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. .,-\^@&@##
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#@@&%*:-,¨ ¨,-:*%&@@#
&£$*~¨¨¨., i am not followed, and slow down in the ,.¨¨¨~*$£&
#&§†;~...¨ 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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