¨,^~~~*^$¶ ¶$^*~~~^,¨
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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. @@£§**†~-.
.,¨,=*:%¤# #¤%:*=,¨,.
.^»\=*£@## ##@£*=\»^.
.,~:%£¤#@# #@#¤£%:~,.
,¨¨~-;*%¤@ @¤%*;-~¨¨,
.,,.,=«*£¶ ¶£*«=,.,,.
,:=†%%¤£## ##£¤%%†=:,