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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. ¨:»\†*§@@#
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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. .^~^%££¶@#
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#§%;=,¨¨¨. 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. ,-«*†§§###
#@@@£†^~~¨ ¨~~^†£@@@#
###&%^\«,¨ 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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