@#£$;~~,¨. .¨,~~;$£#@
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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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