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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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