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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. .-~:=£§#@#
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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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