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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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