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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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.,«;†%@$#¤ ¤#$@%†;«,.
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