@#%*«,,,.. ..,,,«*%#@
##@@¤%=~,. .,~=%¤@@##
##£%^:-,.¨ ¨.,-:^%£##
#%*@@*=»,¨ ¨,»=*@@*%#
#§$%=^,¨., ,.¨,^=%$§#
@@%/»¨,.¨, 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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