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