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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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##@#%*†=., ,.=†*%#@##
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@†».¨¨.... ....¨¨.»†@
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