#@£@£%\»., ,.»\%£@£@#
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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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