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