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##@#¤£%=:¨ ¨:=%£¤#@##
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#@#£%$;--, statuette ,--;$%£#@#
£$/=¨¨.... ....¨¨=/$£
####@§$»~, @£@$£¤%*§%££¤&*¤»~-»«~»»§$$*£££%¤¤§§@§¤£ ,~»$§@####
#£@$^-^.., &*%*§%§¤* ,..^-^$@£#
¶¤@£&*=-~, ,~-=*&£@¤¶
###£$§==~¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨~==§$£###
#@£@*†/-:¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨:-/†*@£@#
¶@£^«,,,,, forgotten. wild boars roaming ,,,,,«^£@¶
¶£#§@†^»:¨ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¨:»^†@§#£¶
#@£*/^,¨¨. is dark and moist, the canopy having .¨¨,^/*£@#
###§¤$^«,. already soaked up all the sun. .,«^$¤§###
#£§&%$^-,, ,,-^$%&§£#
##¶£%%=»~, there's a river passing by, from east ,~»=%%£¶##
@&£=;=¨.,¨ to west, getting broader and deeper and ¨,.¨=;=£&@
#^=*-,¨,¨¨ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¨¨,¨,-*=^#
###§&$;~.¨ where the pine hands start to let ¨.~;$&§###
§¤&%*%\~.. through light, horsemint on the rocky ..~\%*%&¤§
@$†~.,.,¨. river bed. .¨,.,.~†$@
@¤==,,,¨,¨ ¨,¨,,,==¤@
####%$=»,. / .,»=$%####
###££%*~,¨ ¨,~*%££###
#@#£*$:~:. the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight .:~:$*£#@#
##@@£^/~~¨ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ¨~~/^£@@##
###@&^†-^. water, stone rings and floating moss. .^-†^&@###
###@&§/~~. you could've found me wallowing around .~~/§&@###
#@#¤£†=~-¨ on the southern shores until i got ¨-~=†£¤#@#
@#&*~....¨ bitten. ¨....~*@
###@#%§~., ,.~§%#@###
&$$==¨,.¨¨ 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. ¨--:**@###
##£#&%\~~. .~~\%£##
##¶§$*=~,, the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ,,~=*$§¶##
##@§$=;-~, to get up, still looking at the ,~-;=$§@##
##¤^^¨,,¨, 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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###¶££=^:¨ ¨:^=££¶###
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