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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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