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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 .,~:§§$#@#
#@@§††~^^. umbrella which i'm sitting on. .^^~††§@@#
#¤%^\-.¨,, ,,¨.-\^%¤#
#@@§%^/~~, = ,~~/^%§@@#
###£§%*~^¨ ¨^~*%§£###
§*~,,,..¨, somethings moving in the grass. it's ,¨..,,,~*§
#@£@%%\--¨ invisible to my eyes but i can feel ¨--\%%@£@#
#&@%=^¨¨¨, through the ground just how large it is. ,¨¨¨^=%@
£#@$:^.,., ,.,.^:$@#£
###@@%\»-, the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ,-»\%@@###
@#%-^¨.,,. to get up, still looking at the .,,.¨^-%#@
###@¤@\~~, direction of sound rather than at my ,~~\@¤@###
#@@§%*^»., hands, who are busy putting things in ,.»^*%§@@#
###&%%*~.. my pockets. ..~*%%##
¤&$†=,.¨., ,.¨.,=†$&¤
@£§£@§;=., then i run east toward my home. ,.=;§@£§£@
#@@¤@%:«,. .,«:%@¤@@#
##£§&%*«,, = ,,«*%&§£##
##§%$*-... ...-*$%§##
##¶¤$%;»:. 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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