..«=$$@@£# #£@@$$=«..
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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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