##@£¤*†»., ,.»†*¤£@##
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£&$~»-«,.. ..,«-»~$&£
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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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