#@#&&%:«~¨ ¨~«:%&@#
¶&%^«¨.,., ,.,.¨«^%&¶
#@#§%*\».¨ ¨.»\*%§#@#
@&$/»^.¨,, ,,¨.^»/$&@
#$$\/-,.¨, ,¨.,-/\$$#
#%%;,:..,. statuette .,..:,;%%#
#%:\~,.¨¨¨ ¨¨¨.,~\:%#
##@£@†^~~. $£&$£%$£*&£$§£$%«~»=-~«=£§$$£¤§%@%%%$£§£ .~~^†@£@##
##@§&$;=., $$%%§£%@@ ,.=;$&§@##
£#£&^~,¨,, ,,¨,~^&£#£
#¤¤¤=%/»^, 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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