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£$=†\/†~,. .,~†/\†=$£
##¶@$%^~., statuette ,.~^%$@¶##
###£&$*~~¨ ¨~~*$&£###
#@#%%~«,.. £$$*£%&££&%%*$&§~»»~-~-»&@¤**&£§%§£&£*%$ ..,«~%%#@#
#@#&@§†«:, *%@%¤%%§% ,:«†§@@#
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@%;†-~»... forests around my childhood home. thick ...»~-†;%@
#¶%†^%;~^. pine arcades that were planted and .^~;%^†%¶#
##¤$^~¨¨,. forgotten. wild boars roaming .,¨¨~^$¤##
###@@%^~^, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,^~^%@@###
&§$:...,¨. is dark and moist, the canopy having .¨,...:$§&
###&@$^»~, already soaked up all the sun. ,~»^$@##
¤£=§†~:,:, ,:,:~†§=£¤
@=»¨¨...,, there's a river passing by, from east ,,...¨¨»=@
###§$**~~¨ to west, getting broader and deeper and ¨~~**$§###
@%%===-~,. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just .,~-===%%@
#¶£=~.¨.., where the pine hands start to let ,..¨.~=£¶#
###¤¤^;».. through light, horsemint on the rocky ..»;^¤¤###
£*@^:,..., river bed. ,...,:^@*£
#@@£*§*-,¨ ¨,-*§*£@@#
#&£^-..,., * ,.,..-^£
§£*†**/»-¨ ¨-»/**†*£§
&¤*=§=/=-¨ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ¨-=/=§=*¤&
£§&@§§*«:, they had been a swampworld with sylvan ,:«*§§@&§£
##@£@%*»,. water, stone rings and floating moss. .,»*%@£@##
##@¶$†\»,. you could've found me wallowing around .,»\†$¶@##
#@¶#%§:~,¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨,~:§%#¶@#
##@&*^;».. bitten. ..»;^*&@##
##@§*†^-., ,.-^†*§@##
@§%*;=~~¨, but now i'm further back, on solid ,¨~~=;*%§@
#¤%=^»¨¨., ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ,.¨¨»^=%¤#
#@*=*\«-:. orange tin radio and a translucent .:-«\*=*@#
#§§&=-,¨¨. umbrella which i'm sitting on. .¨¨,-=&§§#
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##££§*†«,, † ,,«†*§££##
#@¶#¤^†=.¨ ¨.=†^¤#¶@#
@§§\~:,.¨, somethings moving in the grass. it's ,¨.,:~\§§@
#@¶¤$$\~,. invisible to my eyes but i can feel .,~\$$¤¶@#
&**:,:-¨.¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨.¨-:,:**&
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£$§=-...¨. the soil is muddy. i slip when trying .¨...-=§$£
#%\.¨¨¨,., 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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