#@£&*%^»-, ,-»^%*&£@#
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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 .-~:***$$£
@#¶¤§==-:, through light, horsemint on the rocky ,:-==§¤¶#@
#**~~¨..¨, river bed. ,¨..¨~~**#
#@%§§*†«,¨ ¨,«†*§§%@#
##@£&*^-^. = .^-^*&£@##
@=^\«^~¨., ,.¨~^«\^=@
##@@$=†~.¨ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ¨.~†=$@@##
#@#&$*:«.¨ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ¨.«:*$@#
¶£^~¨,..¨¨ water, stone rings and floating moss. ¨¨..,¨~^£¶
£@*».¨,,., you could've found me wallowing around ,.,,¨.»*@£
@#@&$=\-.¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨.-\=$&@#@
#@¶£§=*-,, bitten. ,,-*=§£¶@#
##£#£§\»^, ,^»\§£#£##
###@£%†-,. but now i'm further back, on solid .,-†%£@###
###¤%§/-:, ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ,:-/§%¤###
#@#&£%:«,¨ orange tin radio and a translucent ¨,«:%£@#
#£@¤$%:»,. umbrella which i'm sitting on. .,»:%$¤@£#
###@£§%^~. .~^%§£@###
##£#%$:«~¨ / ¨~«:$%#£##
#@¶@&%:~~. .~~:%&@¶@#
¶*@$:-»~.. somethings moving in the grass. it's ..~»-:$@*¶
##@&@%*~,, invisible to my eyes but i can feel ,,~*%@&@##
@¶#&$$^~~. 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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