@@*^«,,.,, ,,.,,«^*@@
&%*$%-»~:. .:~»-%$*%&
##¶@$^==,. .,==^$@¶##
£§%§†«,..¨ ¨..,«†§%§£
##@@£%$\«, ,«\$%£@@##
#@£§@^†»^¨ 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. .,~^*¤#@@#
###@&§\».¨ ¨.»\§&@###
@¤$†~,¨,,. then i run east toward my home. .,,¨,~†$¤@
##¶&£%/--, ,--/%£&¶##
@¤**=~:,.¨ : ¨.,:~=**¤@
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##¶£%^/--, 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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