##@&§§*-,¨ ¨,-*§§&@##
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#@££¤$†~.. statuette ..~†$¤££@#
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####£==~-¨ §§£*§@&%£*%%@%£&~==«~--~&£%%§@*§££%%@@@@ ¨-~==£####
###§%§/=.. &*£*$§§@§ ..=/§%§###
¶@£$§^^~^. .^~^^§$£@¶
¤%$&&§=~~. 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. .~«**£@###
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##£§%%†~:¨ ; ¨:~†%%§£##
¤@#&$%;«,, ,,«;%$&#@¤
@##£†~=¨¨, 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. .,~;*%££##
¤¤¤%--.¨.¨ ¨.¨.--%¤¤¤
§$†:,¨¨¨., then i run east toward my home. ,.¨¨¨,:†$§
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£#¤†«~-:.¨ ¨.:-~«†¤#£
#@#§£$^=-¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨-=^$£§#@#
@@¶¤@§/-~¨ 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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