¤§£†*^~,.¨ ¨.,~^*†£§¤
##£¤$*†»-¨ ¨-»†*$¤£##
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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 ¨,,,.=»%$@
###¤*^\~,. river bed. .,~\^*¤###
##@£@%†«., ,.«†%@£@##
###¶£§=~^¨ ; ¨^~=§£¶###
##££§$:~^. .^~:$§££##
###£$§/~,, 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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