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