##@§%*:~,. .,~:*%§@##
#@£$$:~~¨. .¨~~:$$£@#
#¤§§*-^¨., ,.¨^-*§§¤#
@£%^-,,.¨¨ ¨¨.,,-^%£@
@%^«,,..,, ,,..,,«^%@
*^=-,,,.¨. 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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&¤%^=.¨..¨ ¨..¨.=^%¤&
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