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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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