.^»\$@@### ###@@$\»^.
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¨,«==$§### ###§$==«,¨
.^»\%@## ###&@%\»^.
.¨,..,«*=§ §=*«,..,¨.
.~«=$§#¶## 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. #&££§%/~.,
,,,,-;*†$& &$†*;-,,,,
¨^~†$££### ###££$†~^¨
,,.../\%*£ £*%\/...,,
,-»«~^%§## ##§%^~«»-,
..¨,,*¤$£@ @£$¤*,,¨..
,-~;^*§@@# #@@§*^;~-,