##@#£$==.¨ ¨.==$£#@##
#@##*^/=~, ,~=/^*##@#
#@£#&%:«:. .:«:%&#£@#
#@@#$$;«:¨ ¨:«;$$#@@#
##¶&¤$^~.¨ ¨.~^$¤&¶##
###@@§*~~. 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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