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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. .:~*$%§#@#
£#@@$*^~~. .~~^*$@@#£
¶¤$†\~¨¨,¨ 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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