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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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