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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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