##@¶¤£§*«~ ~«*§£¤¶@##
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@&§=*-».¨¨ ¨¨.»-*=§&@
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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. .~~\*¤&&¶#
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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. ¨¨¨¨¨.~«*¤
###@*=;~-, ,-~;=*@###
@#&$-»~.,. then i run east toward my home. .,.~»-$&#@
#@@@*†:=,¨ ¨,=:†*@@@#
##£¤£==»~¨ ^ ¨~»==£¤£##
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@£@^~^~,., 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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