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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 ,.~†*$£#@#
&£*--.¨¨¨, water, stone rings and floating moss. ,¨¨¨.--*£&
¤%£:^..¨,, you could've found me wallowing around ,,¨..^:£%¤
####*%^-^¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨^-^%*####
####@†\»,¨ bitten. ¨,»\†@####
#@#¤%*†~~¨ ¨~~†*%¤#@#
&=§~-:¨,.¨ but now i'm further back, on solid ¨.,¨:-~§=&
£#§\...,.¨ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨.,...\§#£
#@£&£%/«,¨ orange tin radio and a translucent ¨,«/%£&£@#
#¤^\;~:--¨ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¨--:~;\^¤#
@@#==,¨¨.. ..¨¨,==#@@
###££$\~~, * ,~~\$££###
##¶£&$;»:¨ ¨:»;$&£¶##
#£*-,,¨¨¨, 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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