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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 ¨:-=^&@#
@§$:^,:,¨, through the ground just how large it is. ,¨,:,^:$§@
#@#&%†^»,, ,,»^†%@#
#%£:=^.¨¨. 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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