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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, ,:»;$*££&@
#¤¤@/,.,¨, and i must've picked it up with my ,¨,.,/@¤¤#
#=~~:~¨¨¨. other belongings. .¨¨¨~:~~=#
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¤*=~~¨¨,.¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨.,¨¨~~=*¤
@#¶¤%%/=,, on her stomach, feet in the air, ,,=/%%¤¶#@
#@@§$^/~.¨ 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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