¶#§===,¨,¨ ¨,¨,===§#¶
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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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