.,«†*£¤§@¶ ¶@§¤£*†«,.
....»»=¤¤# #¤¤=»»....
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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. ###£&**~^¨
¨¨..-«»;&£ £&;»«-..¨¨
¨.~=**&¶## ##¶&**=~.¨
¨-~†=¤£*## ##*£¤=†~-¨
..~^$££¶## ##¶££$^~..
,.,,¨.~†¤£ £¤†~.¨,,.,
¨,»:^%&@@@ @@@&%^:»,¨