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#@#@%%/»,. .,»/%%@#@#
££@§$†;=-¨ statuette ¨-=;†$§@££
@@§†==^,.. ..,^==†§@@
#@**^/«,,, %%%¤£@¤¤%%%%§@$&«~-~«-~~%§*£&£@*¤§@§§*%¤ ,,,«/^**@#
##£&£*/»:¨ ££§@&£%£& ¨:»/*£&£##
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###§@§\=.¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨.=\§@§###
#@@@$%\».. 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. ,~-***#@¶#
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¤*=,¨¨..., = ,...¨¨,=*¤
@#@&$$\=^¨ ¨^=\$$&@#@
@@$;†=\~,. somethings moving in the grass. it's .,~\=†;$@@
@#£#§%^=,, 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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