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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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