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