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