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#@#£%%=~,. statuette .,~=%%£#@#
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#§@§^-..,, §*£%§%$&$%§&§&$$»«~«~«=~$££££%¤§*@&@§@%% ,,..-^§@§#
£%=/»:,,., $£$¤$%$%£ ,.,,:»/=%£
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@#£%*†~-.. forests around my childhood home. thick ..-~†*%£#@
#@#&@$/»,, pine arcades that were planted and ,,»/$@@#
#@&$§\~.,, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,,.~\§$&@#
#&%%*~:¨,. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it .,¨:~*%%
#&^/~,¨,,. is dark and moist, the canopy having .,,¨,~/^
#£@%==,¨.¨ already soaked up all the sun. ¨.¨,==%@£#
@##@%/»~.¨ ¨.~»/%@##@
###@£%=~~¨ there's a river passing by, from east ¨~~=%£@###
@@¤$*/=:¨, to west, getting broader and deeper and ,¨:=/*$¤@@
£££*=~,,¨. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just .¨,,~=*£££
¤@%\«^..,. where the pine hands start to let .,..^«\%@¤
#@§$/-:,¨. through light, horsemint on the rocky .¨,:-/$§@#
##&*===~¨. river bed. .¨~===*#
#@#&**:«-. .-«:**@#
#£¤@*†«^¨¨ / ¨¨^«†*@¤£#
@¤§†\~~..¨ ¨..~~\†§¤@
¤¤$*=-.¨¨, the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ,¨¨.-=*$¤¤
£#$%\~^¨¨. they had been a swampworld with sylvan .¨¨^~\%$#£
#£¤£†^~,,, water, stone rings and floating moss. ,,,~^†£¤£#
##£@$%*=-. you could've found me wallowing around .-=*%$@£##
#¶§$=/~-,. on the southern shores until i got .,-~/=$§¶#
¶@$$\--¨¨, 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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