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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. .^==$&£###
#£§@@††=-, ,-=††@@§£#
##£#@%/~^. = .^~/%@#£##
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##¶&¤*=-.¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨.-=*¤&¶##
##@#$^\»,, 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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