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##@£$^\=~¨ ¨~=\^$£@##
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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. ¨^~*$$¤###
#†~=¨¨¨¨,. .,¨¨¨¨=~†#
#@#@£%†=., but now i'm further back, on solid ,.=†%£@#@#
@£%*%%^~,¨ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨,~^%%*%£@
##¶¤£=^~.. orange tin radio and a translucent ..~^=£¤¶##
@*†=~=¨.,¨ umbrella which i'm sitting on. ¨,.¨=~=†*@
###£*^/-:, ,:-/^*£###
£@\;=,,,.¨ : ¨.,,,=;\@£
&@†$\«,^., ,.^,«\$†@&
@£%=¨,,.., somethings moving in the grass. it's ,..,,¨=%£@
##@##%%*~, invisible to my eyes but i can feel ,~*%%##@##
##@£&=\=,. through the ground just how large it is. .,=\=&£@##
@@§**--,¨¨ ¨¨,--**§@@
@##§%%*=:. the soil is muddy. i slip when trying .:=*%%§##@
#@&§*»«--, to get up, still looking at the ,--«»*§&@#
###§§%\~.¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨.~\%§§###
##@&£*^=~¨ hands, who are busy putting things in ¨~=^*£&@##
£¤†;=~,,.¨ my pockets. ¨.,,~=;†¤£
##¶¤&=†~,¨ ¨,~†=&¤¶##
#@@¤£%^~^, then i run east toward my home. ,^~^%£¤@@#
#£*»«¨..¨, ,¨..¨«»*£#
#£$†=¨¨.,, = ,,.¨¨=†$£#
@@£/-...¨¨ ¨¨...-/£@@
##@§£*=«,¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨,«=*£§@##
&§$^-.-.¨. clearing where you at first can spot .¨.-.-^$§&
#@#&@%=-^, the house, not yet really in the ,^-=%@&#@#
###£¤^;~:¨ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¨:~;^¤£###
#@¶§$=†~~, radio (now dented) but also a small ,~~†=$§¶@#
#$£$%†/--, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,--/†%$£$#
£#£†~»-:,, must have been laying in the wet dirt, ,,:-»~†£#£
£**%$:.,¨. and i must've picked it up with my .¨,.:$%**£
###£%*=«,. other belongings. .,«=*%£###
###¤$$;=., ,.=;$$¤###
#@*=/=/-,, 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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