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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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