##¶&£^\-^¨ ¨^-\^£&¶##
###@%^:~,. .,~:^%@###
##@¶£*/=^. .^=/*£¶@##
###£¤%;-:¨ ¨:-;%¤£###
@£*^/,,,,. .,,,,/^*£@
#£=*-.,,.¨ 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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