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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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