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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. ¨-»*†$§&#¶
&†=¨¨,..¨¨ ¨¨..,¨¨=†&
¶@$:/†-¨¨, but now i'm further back, on solid ,¨¨-†/:$@¶
##%\=¨¨.¨, ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ,¨.¨¨=\%##
##@@&&%^~~ orange tin radio and a translucent ~~^%&&@@##
#@@&*^:~^. umbrella which i'm sitting on. .^~:^*&@@#
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###@%%^«~¨ † ¨~«^%%@###
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####£$;=,. somethings moving in the grass. it's .,=;$£####
#@@¤$§=~:. invisible to my eyes but i can feel .:~=§$¤@@#
¶@$§§==¨,¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨,¨==§§$@¶
##@@£^\~^¨ ¨^~\^£@@##
##¶£*†==.¨ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ¨.==†*£¶##
£&:*»¨,,,. to get up, still looking at the .,,,¨»*:&£
#@@&£*/».¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨.»/*£&@@#
¤£%£=«.¨¨¨ hands, who are busy putting things in ¨¨¨.«=£%£¤
###&&%†~~¨ my pockets. ¨~~†%&&###
@&%=~¨.¨,¨ ¨,¨.¨~=%&@
##@¶&^/«^. then i run east toward my home. .^«/^&¶@##
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##@£&$/~:¨ ¨:~/$&£@##
###&¤§\«^, i am not followed, and slow down in the ,^«\§¤&###
#$*$«¨¨.¨. clearing where you at first can spot .¨.¨¨«$*$#
£@¤=*†,¨.¨ the house, not yet really in the ¨.¨,†*=¤@£
#%†~-,¨.,, backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ,,.¨,-~†%#
####&*:~:. radio (now dented) but also a small .:~:*&####
##@%%%^~,¨ clay figure i've never seen before. it ¨,~^%%%@##
##@§^:»».¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨.»»:^§@##
##@@£%=»,. and i must've picked it up with my .,»=%£@@##
#@@&£*^--. other belongings. .--^*£&@@#
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####¤*\~., it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ,.~\*¤####
###¶#$*~,, 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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