##@¤%^=~~, ,~~=^%¤@##
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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. .¨,~~-%**§
###¤$$\«,, ,,«\$$¤###
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####$$/-.¨ ¨.-/$$####
£@#¤@^=»,, 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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