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@@@§&§†».¨ statuette ¨.»†§&§@@@
##@£&†:=:. .:=:†&£@##
¤#¤^-»»,¨¨ £%§&%*%$¤%§&%$@$»~~--»-~&££&¤$£%¤£%$&%£@ ¨¨,»»-^¤#¤
#@¶§§*/~,. $£¤&¤¤*%§ .,~/*§§¶@#
##@#§¤$/=- -=/$¤§#@##
##@£§$/~,¨ 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. .,.,«~~=%¤
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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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