¨:~:%§§£@@ @@£§§%:~:¨
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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 #&$:*:^.~¨
¨~=^^§=§@@ she is worried and wants me to @@§=§^^=~¨
¨,,¨,~=£## throw it away. ##£=~,¨,,¨
.¨....-~%£ £%~-....¨.
¨¨,.-:/=£& &£=/:-.,¨¨
,.»†%$@### ###@$%†».,
¨,^==†=@¶@ @¶@=†==^,¨
,,¨~.†%@£# #£@%†.~¨,,
¨~»\*¤£@## ##@£¤*\»~¨