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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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##@¤£%=~.¨ † ¨.~=%£¤@##
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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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£§§=,¨..,. = .,..¨,=§§£
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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 .^=;%$§£&#
&§-,,...¨¨ hands, who are busy putting things in ¨¨...,,-§&
#££/~~.¨¨. my pockets. .¨¨.~~/££#
####$%:-~. .~-:%$####
@#@¤¤%†=~, then i run east toward my home. ,~=†%¤¤@#@
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#@@££*;-,. i am not followed, and slow down in the .,-;*££@@#
#@¶#%%/»-. clearing where you at first can spot .-»/%%#¶@#
¤¤%&**†=-¨ the house, not yet really in the ¨-=†**&%¤¤
#@@@%§\«~. backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my .~«\§%@@@#
##@@@=^«^. radio (now dented) but also a small .^«^=@@@##
@##@@*/«~, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,~«/*@@##@
##@@%=:«:¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨:«:=%@@##
@@##&†:-^¨ and i must've picked it up with my ¨^-:†&##@@
£¶@§@%/~~. other belongings. .~~/%@§@¶£
####@=/»,, ,,»/=@####
#@##%^*-.. it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ..-*^%##@#
#@@#%=;-,. on her stomach, feet in the air, .,-;=%#@@#
§*%=*=»... roughly seven centimeters long. it's ...»=*=%*§
##¶¤£=;=., freshly made, not yet completely dried. ,.=;=£¤¶##
##@#$*†-,. .,-†*$#@##
##¶£*†=«^¨ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¨^«=†*£¶##
¤§%~,,:.¨. particle board for it to dry on, but .¨.:,,~%§¤
###£&$;~,. she is worried and wants me to .,~;$&£###
#@†~.,¨¨,, throw it away. ,,¨¨,.~†@#
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