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####%*/~,¨ statuette ¨,~/*%####
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¤†*%«»:.,, $£%&¤£$&& ,,.:»«%*†¤
#¤=::*,... ...,*::=¤#
####*%*~~. 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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