##@£*=^~,. .,~^=*£@##
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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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