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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. ..«\†%§@#@
##¤:,,,,,¨ ¨,,,,,:¤##
@@£@@%=-.¨ ^ ¨.-=%@@£@@
#$«»,.,,,. .,,,.,»«$#
@#£¤%$*~-. somethings moving in the grass. it's .-~*$%¤£#@
##*%«~^.¨, 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 .:~^†$£###
#&&#&*;«,¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨,«;*&#&&#
#¶£**::¨¨, and i must've picked it up with my ,¨¨::**£¶#
#@@&%^^~,¨ other belongings. ¨,~^^%&@@#
##¶&£§;~,, ,,~;§£&¶##
§¤§;:,,.,¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨,.,,:;§¤§
@@#&$†*-:¨ 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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