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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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