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