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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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##@&%;~,.¨ ¨.,~;%&@##
#@£¤\»~.,¨ ¨,.~»\¤£@#