#@#£§*†~,¨ ¨,~†*§£#@#
@£^»,.,,,, ,,,,.,»^£@
#£&§@%:=,. .,=:%@§&£#
##£&§*/-^. .^-/*§&£##
#@@¤@$*»-¨ ¨-»*$@¤@@#
¤$/,^,¨,¨¨ statuette ¨¨,¨,^,/$¤
#@£§&=*-,¨ ¨,-*=&§£@#
##@@*§:«~. %@%%$£*$§£@£&¤%&»~»~«~»«$§§£$%$%%§§&§&$$ .~«:§*@@##
@#£#$=;-:. $*£££§£%$ .:-;=$#£#@
#@£@§-~,,, ,,,~-§@£@#
####**;-., forests around my childhood home. thick ,.-;**####
£%*%~~=-,, pine arcades that were planted and ,,-=~~%*%£
#£*&†^\=,, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,,=\^†&*£#
##£¤$§/=:. 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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