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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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