¨.»\$¤*§@@ @@§*¤$\».¨
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,-~\§†*@%# #%@*†§\~-,
.,«;*%&### ###&%*;«,.
,-~/=@@@## statuette ##@@@=/~-,
,~~*$&@### ###@&$*~~,
,^~\%*@@## %¤££$$§*£*$@%$$$««-~~«~~§¤&$§£§%£§&£@%$% ##@@*%\~^,
¨^»†$£§¶## §%*$%&£££ ##¶§£$†»^¨
,.~/=$£### ###£$=/~.,
,~»*^*¤@@# forests around my childhood home. thick #@@¤*^*»~,
.,=*=$##@# 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 ###§$§/=:.
.^~=§*¤#@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@#¤*§=~^.
,.-*†£¤### she is worried and wants me to ###¤£†*-.,
,.~/=@@@## throw it away. ##@@@=/~.,
,^«;=£#£@# #@£#£=;«^,
¨,»:*¤@¶## ##¶@¤*:»,¨
.,~;^%§¶@# #@¶§%^;~,.
,^«†*%§@## ##@§%*†«^,
¨^«;%$£### ###£$%;«^¨
.-~;^¤£#@# #@#£¤^;~-.