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