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@#&§&%;~-. statuette .-~;%&§&#@
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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. ¨--:%¤@###
¤§\~~..¨¨. .¨¨..~~\§¤
##@@@§†~,. \ .,~†§@@@##
##¶#&†:«:¨ ¨:«:†&#¶##
##@§£§:-.. 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. ,...¨~/=¤£
###@£*†~~. .~~†*£@###
##@&£*:~^. 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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