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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. ,¨.:††*¤@#
#@@¤$=;=^¨ ¨^=;=$¤@@#
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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. ,¨,.¨,;%£@
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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. ¨,-=:\^£§@
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##@¤%^=~:¨ 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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