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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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