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