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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. ,,,,«»/¤¤£
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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 ,,»=*¤&¶@#
@@#¤$^^~,, river bed. ,,~^^$¤#@@
##@&£%^«^¨ ¨^«^%£&@##
##¤$*†==:, ; ,:==†*$¤##
@¤¤^*†:¨., ,.¨:†*^¤¤@
#§*††*†~:. 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. ¨.¨,.^§¤@£
#£:;;«,¨,¨ ¨,¨,«;;:£#
¶#@$%~,:¨¨ then i run east toward my home. ¨¨:,~%$@#¶
¶£†,¨,.,,¨ ¨,,.,¨,†£¶
@¤$\*-¨.., : ,..¨-*\$¤@
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##¶#@^;=-¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨-=;^@#¶##
##£#*$/-,. 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. ,^=*§¤&¶¶@
@¤£;=¨.,,. .,,.¨=;£¤@
#@=%~:,.,¨ 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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