@¶#@/~=~-. .-~=~/@#¶@
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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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