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@£@&£§\--¨ statuette ¨--\§£&@£@
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##@§*$;~:. %¤$£¤%£¤&¤¤*%§&¤~~~««»»~$£§$£&§&%%%&&¤%@ .:~;$*§@##
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@&£§;~=... forests around my childhood home. thick ...=~;§£&@
#@¶§£§:=:, pine arcades that were planted and ,:=:§£§¶@#
¶¤§§§$\»^. 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. ..,-:/^*&@
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£%%*:¨,.¨. 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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