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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 ¨~~^$$@@@#
#@@§$*^-.. they had been a swampworld with sylvan ..-^*$§@@#
##@#@=^-^. water, stone rings and floating moss. .^-^=@#@##
##£#&*:~.¨ you could've found me wallowing around ¨.~:*&#£##
##@#¤%†«-¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨-«†%¤#@##
##¶§&=;«-¨ bitten. ¨-«;=&§¶##
&&%%«¨,.¨, ,¨.,¨«%%&&
###&$=/»,, but now i'm further back, on solid ,,»/=$&###
##£&@%:--, ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ,--:%@&£##
@£†:,,,.,. orange tin radio and a translucent .,.,,,:†£@
###@¤*:=:¨ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¨:=:*¤@###
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###§§$=~,, † ,,~=$§§###
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£§=†*/=»,¨ somethings moving in the grass. it's ¨,»=/*†=§£
##@&%*^~^¨ invisible to my eyes but i can feel ¨^~^*%&@##
@@%;-,,.,¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨,.,,-;%@@
###&$$/«~¨ ¨~«/$$&###
##¶#**:«:, the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ,:«:**#¶##
#=^§%:~=^, to get up, still looking at the ,^=~:%§^=#
##£@%§:-,, direction of sound rather than at my ,,-:§%@£##
&†:=~.¨,.¨ hands, who are busy putting things in ¨.,¨.~=:†&
@@¤&/»~--¨ my pockets. ¨--~»/&¤@@
#¶$*^=;~~, ,~~;=^*$¶#
&¤%%=«¨,¨, then i run east toward my home. ,¨,¨«=%%¤&
§†^~,..... .....,~^†§
@&^§††:,.. / ..,:††§^&@
#£$$§~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~§$$£#
¤#@%/,-,.. 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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£&*%*~,.,¨ ¨,.,~*%*&£
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