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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. ¨^~\%¤@£##
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&§\\,,¨,¨. 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. ,:=;%$§¶##
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#£*»^,.... the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ....,^»*£#
@%&%:.^¨.. they had been a swampworld with sylvan ..¨^.:%&%@
@@#@\,,.., water, stone rings and floating moss. ,..,,\@#@@
####$=\~-, 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. .:-†^=/¤£¶
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#@##%=/«.. 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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