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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. ¨,¨¨,:§&&@
@@§¤%/,¨., ,.¨,/%¤§@@
@&@==:^=.. 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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