@#£§§*/-.. ..-/*§§£#@
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@#¤££%*«.. ..«*%££¤#@
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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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