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##£§£*/~:. £%¤%&£¤££ .:~/*£§£##
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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 ,,«=†§£@##
#¶#&$§^»:¨ river bed. ¨:»^§$¶#
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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. ,,¨¨.,~^*#
##@¤§**-:, ,:-**§¤@##
&&@§%†^~., 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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