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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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