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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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