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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. ¨¨.¨:=&&¤#
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#@#@£$\--, 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. ,^«:%*¤£##
#@£@$†;~~, ,~~;†$@£@#
#¤$§††\~,¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨,~\††§$¤#
###&&*^~~, 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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