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##£#§%^~~¨ statuette ¨~~^%§#£##
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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 .:~;*&#@@#
¶¶$&@%=».¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨.»=%@&$¶¶
##@¤@*†«,. .,«†*@¤@##
£@^=§*:=-¨ 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. ¨.~\%%£¤#¶
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@£¶§§*==^¨ 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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