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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 .-«\*$####
#@@@&§;«.. to west, getting broader and deeper and ..«;§&@@@#
#&*:/;;»^¨ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¨^»;;/:*
###¶¤§†«,¨ where the pine hands start to let ¨,«†§¤¶###
###@¤*=^~~ through light, horsemint on the rocky ~~^=*¤@###
#£†/,-,¨.¨ river bed. ¨.¨,-,/†£#
#¤§#£*†~:¨ ¨:~†*£#§¤#
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@#¶¤%$=»,¨ 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 ¨:.-=$^¤¤£
##@@%†==~, umbrella which i'm sitting on. ,~==†%@@##
£$~¨¨...¨. .¨...¨¨~$£
¶*$^~-¨¨,¨ = ¨,¨¨-~^$*¶
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#§#£*§/~~, somethings moving in the grass. it's ,~~/§*£#§#
##£#£*=-,, invisible to my eyes but i can feel ,,-=*£#£##
@@&¤@%\--¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨--\%@¤&@@
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##@@@$†~,¨ 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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