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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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,.:»^*&£## ##£&*^»:.,