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#£¤%^†=^.. statuette ..^=†^%¤£#
#@¶#&§†~:¨ ¨:~†§&#¶@#
#£&£§;»,,¨ £$§@@***%$£$$§¤%»-«~~=~=£@*$%£¤¤£%%@%@@& ¨,,»;§£&£#
#@£@£%†-.¨ @&%$*£*£* ¨.-†%£@£@#
#¶¤¤*^=,,. .,,=^*¤¤¶#
##@£$$;~~. 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, ¨~-;*%@@##
#@#£$:=^¨¨ and i must've picked it up with my ¨¨^=:$£#@#
#@@#@$*~:¨ other belongings. ¨:~*$@#@@#
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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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