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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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