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##@£#£/=-, ,-=/£#£@##
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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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