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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. ¨¨-.«$%%£@
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#§*^=.,,,¨ but now i'm further back, on solid ¨,,,.=^*§#
#*%%$^=~~, 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. ¨^~;^*§@§§
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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. ,~«*%¤&¤#£
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@@£%«~,,¨, 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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