@$^=^..... .....^=^$@
##@#§=*~-¨ ¨-~*=§#@##
##@@£$/»., ,.»/$£@@##
#@@§£%;~,. .,~;%£§@@#
&££/:.,... ...,.:/££&
@£@#¤$/«:. statuette .:«/$¤#@£@
##@@%*;~~¨ ¨~~;*%@@##
@@$:«,:¨,, *¤$£§£¤$£$§¤¤@$&=~~«=»-»§$$¤£%£§*@&$&&$§ ,,¨:,«:$@@
##@@%§==~. %@£&¤£§£@ .~==§%@@##
@&&#¤*/=.. ..=/*¤#&&@
####¤$†«-. 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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