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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. ,-~^§££###
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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. ,^»*^%§@#@
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##¶&$$\~.¨ 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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