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