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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. ,¨¨.¨¨,†%#
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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 ,¨,,^,~^¤#
#@£@*^*=~¨ 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 ¨.¨¨,~-†$@
&¤†\=^-:,¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨,:-^=\†¤&
#@%¤:~¨¨.. ..¨¨~:¤%@#
@&£†~~^~^. the soil is muddy. i slip when trying .^~^~~†£&@
###§£%†~,. to get up, still looking at the .,~†%£§###
@#£@@%*--, direction of sound rather than at my ,--*%@@£#@
#@¶£¤*:»,. hands, who are busy putting things in .,»:*¤£¶@#
##@#£$;«-¨ 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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