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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 ###¤¤$*«.,
¨..¨.~%†@# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #@†%~.¨..¨
¨.-:*§¶### where the pine hands start to let ###¶§*:-.¨
..¨¨,~^£§@ through light, horsemint on the rocky @§£^~,¨¨..
,:=^*%§¶## river bed. ##¶§%*^=:,
¨,¨¨¨-:$§# #§$:-¨¨¨,¨
.-»=*%§¶@@ ; @@¶§%*=»-.
¨.¨¨,-;^&# #&^;-,¨¨.¨
,¨..=~~*£# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #£*~~=..¨,
¨,«:*££#@# they had been a swampworld with sylvan #@#££*:«,¨
¨,=*§*&### water, stone rings and floating moss. ###&*§*=,¨
.,=*=£&### you could've found me wallowing around ###&£=*=,.
.:«=§$&£¶£ 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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