,^~^†¤@### ###@¤†^~^,
¨,,¨~=^=£¤ ¤£=^=~¨,,¨
-=^=*§#### ####§*=^=-
..~:†¤£@## ##@£¤†:~..
,.~/$@@@@# #@@@@$/~.,
¨--*=$¤### statuette ###¤$=*--¨
,,»:*¤§### ###§¤*:»,,
.¨..~=†=*¶ £*$£@*£**%£¤%&£&~=~-«»~»§£§%%£%*@@%@$%&@ ¶*=†=~..¨.
¨:«;*@&@@# §%$%£%$%@ #@@&@*;«:¨
.,¨,¨¨,*¤§ §¤*,¨¨,¨,.
¨¨,~~~*%$¤ forests around my childhood home. thick ¤$%*~~~,¨¨
,:=\*£&@@# 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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,,»**$£#@# #@#£$**»,,
,¨.,~:=%$# #$%=:~,.¨,