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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 .¨^~†%$¤@@
#@@£¤††~-. direction of sound rather than at my .-~††¤£@@#
@#§¤*^=-¨, hands, who are busy putting things in ,¨-=^*¤§#@
##@£@=†~,. my pockets. .,~†=@£@##
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#@#£@^;~,, then i run east toward my home. ,,~;^@£#@#
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###¤§%=~^. i am not followed, and slow down in the .^~=%§¤###
#£¤%††=-¨¨ clearing where you at first can spot ¨¨-=††%¤£#
####£%/~,. the house, not yet really in the .,~/%£####
#¶&¤$\=... 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. ¨¨~-:=§§@@
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#£@%%*~,,, 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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