##£@£*^~.. ..~^*£@£##
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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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