##@&£§=-,. .,-=§£&@##
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##@&$$†--. .--†$$&@##
#@£@*%*~,¨ ¨,~*%*@£@#
###¤%††~-¨ ¨-~††%¤###
###&&*^«-, statuette ,-«^*&&###
@£%†,.,.., ,..,.,†%£@
#@££¤^:-.. %&%$@@$%£$*%§$§¤~-«-~»=»£$¤££&$$***§$¤§% ..-:^¤££@#
@&†~¨.,¨., $%&%$¤%@¤ ,.¨,.¨~†&@
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##¶#&§:».¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨.»:§&#¶##
£§§†~-^¨¨¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨¨¨^-~†§§£
§^-==~.¨.¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨.¨.~==-^§
##@¤&=*»:, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,:»*=&¤@##
§@&£%§*«:, is dark and moist, the canopy having ,:«*§%£&@§
#&=~«,.¨.¨ already soaked up all the sun. ¨.¨.,«~=&#
#@#£¤$/»-¨ ¨-»/$¤£#@#
£@@&£^†«,¨ there's a river passing by, from east ¨,«†^£&@@£
§&*†-..¨,, to west, getting broader and deeper and ,,¨..-†*&§
¶@&&*=«~:, slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ,:~«=*&&@¶
#¤§§\»,¨¨, where the pine hands start to let ,¨¨,»\§§¤#
£*^===¨¨,¨ through light, horsemint on the rocky ¨,¨¨===^*£
#¤&$-¨..., river bed. ,...¨-$&¤#
##£¤@†=~^. .^~=†@¤£##
##@&$%/~,. / .,~/%$&@##
#¶£*~~:,,, ,,,:~~*£¶#
#@£#£*/~,. the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight .,~/*£#£@#
##@&£*^~-¨ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ¨-~^*£&@##
#¶£&%$\=-, water, stone rings and floating moss. ,-=\$%&£¶#
##@§£$^~:¨ you could've found me wallowing around ¨:~^$£§@##
§**=†^*~^¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨^~*^†=**§
@@#&¤*;»,. bitten. .,»;*¤&#@@
£*$$~,,,,. .,,,,~$$*£
##¶§&=;~-¨ but now i'm further back, on solid ¨-~;=&§¶##
#@£@%%:-~¨ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨~-:%%@£@#
##£&$%;~-. orange tin radio and a translucent .-~;%$&£##
&††$=,,..¨ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¨..,,=$††&
@¶¤=«¨.¨.. ..¨.¨«=¤¶@
##@¤$*\=~. : .~=\*$¤@##
#@#@£%:»^. .^»:%£@#@#
#@@&£%=~,¨ somethings moving in the grass. it's ¨,~=%£&@@#
@@§\-.~.,, invisible to my eyes but i can feel ,,.~.-\§@@
##@¶@$†~~. through the ground just how large it is. .~~†$@¶@##
#@£#$†^~,, ,,~^†$#£@#
#@@§£%=«.¨ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ¨.«=%£§@@#
§&£$-,~.¨¨ to get up, still looking at the ¨¨.~,-$£&§
###@$$=~-, 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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