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