###£&$/»-¨ ¨-»/$&£###
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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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