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##@@£%=~., forests around my childhood home. thick ,.~=%£@@##
#£#@%^*«.. pine arcades that were planted and ..«*^%@#£#
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##@§%%;».. 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 ¨-~~-=*&@#
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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. ,,~**$#¶@#
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#@#£%*†~,. through the ground just how large it is. .,~†*%£#@#
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@#%%$†-.., the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ,..-†$%%#@
##¶££*:-.¨ to get up, still looking at the ¨.-:*££¶##
###@@$/=,¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨,=/$@@###
££*^~¨,,¨¨ hands, who are busy putting things in ¨¨,,¨~^*££
###@&**-~. my pockets. .~-**&@###
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###@£$†=,. 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 ¨~»:%&§@##
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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 ,¨.:«\=†@&
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##@#£*†~,. 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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