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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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¤&*†*-~.,, ,,.~-*†*&¤
§$@%^^,.¨¨ ¨¨.,^^%@$§
§@%†%~~¨,¨ ¨,¨~~%†%@§
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