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##£¤£*=-^¨ ¨^-=*£¤£##
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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. ¨,»\%£####
#@@#%^/«,¨ ¨,«/^%#@@#
####@@††»- ^ -»††@@####
&@*;-^..¨. .¨..^-;*@&
§&*;:-,,., 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 ,¨....¨-%&
#@$=¨.¨.., umbrella which i'm sitting on. ,..¨.¨=$@#
##§£\,,¨,¨ ¨,¨,,\£§##
#@¶§¤*†«:, † ,:«†*¤§¶@#
@$§-=~.,,¨ ¨,,.~=-§$@
@#¤$:;~¨¨¨ somethings moving in the grass. it's ¨¨¨~;:$¤#@
##@§%%:~:, 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. ¨,,~/$†*$#
@@##£%†-,, ,,-†%£##@@
#&%^;~,, / ,,~;^%#&
#@/-,,.,,. .,,.,,-/@#
####%†^~^. 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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