####@†==^, ,^==†@####
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#@#§£%/«,. .,«/%£§#@#
##@@£†:=,, statuette ,,=:†£@@##
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##£¤&$\~,¨ ¤%$&$%%&***$£§£*»«»»~»»~£%&&%&&£¤$%%&*@@ ¨,~\$&¤£##
£%*^-,,¨¨, @£%¤§£@¤£ ,¨¨,,-^*%£
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##@£*^^--, forests around my childhood home. thick ,--^^*£@##
##¶&&=†~^, pine arcades that were planted and ,^~†=&&¶##
##@@%=†~~¨ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¨~~†=%@@##
###&&††~,, underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ,,~††&&###
#@#@$§^«,. 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 .¨.¨¨¨«$#¶
@&§*=~~:.. umbrella which i'm sitting on. ..:~~=*§&@
##@&&§:~,, ,,~:§&&@##
#%*~,,¨¨., ; ,.¨¨,,~*%#
###@#%==». .»==%#@###
¤£*$^%/-,. 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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