##@£%†^»,, ,,»^†%£@##
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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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