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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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