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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. ¨:-=-^£&##
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###£¤%†~~. 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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