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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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