@#%£=~~:,¨ ¨,:~~=£%#@
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&§†*=««¨¨¨ statuette ¨¨¨««=*†§&
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@^-.,,¨.¨. §¤*£$@§¤£ .¨.¨,,.-^@
£¤£*\,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,\*£¤£
##¶&$*^~., 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 .,«:§$§¶@#
###@#£^=,. through light, horsemint on the rocky .,=^£#@###
#£&£§^»»:, river bed. ,:»»^§£&£#
###¤£*/=^¨ ¨^=/*£¤###
@¤$%~¨¨¨¨, \ ,¨¨¨¨~%$¤@
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##@&§§/~,, 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. ¨.¨.«;*£##
@£@@%==~.. ..~==%@@£@
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@#@£@*=«^¨ ¨^«=*@£@#@
#§^»«..,.¨ 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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&%£//:«:.. ..:«://£%&
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