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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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