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