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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 ¨~«/§@&@@#
###&%$\«^. bitten. .^«\$%&###
@£;\««,.¨, ,¨.,««\;£@
###§@=:-., but now i'm further back, on solid ,.-:=@§###
#^«~~¨,¨.. ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ..¨,¨~~«^#
##@#¤@*~:. orange tin radio and a translucent .:~*@¤#@##
#%§~~~,¨.. umbrella which i'm sitting on. ..¨,~~~§%#
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#%/=~~¨... somethings moving in the grass. it's ...¨~~=/%#
#@£&&%^~^¨ invisible to my eyes but i can feel ¨^~^%&&£@#
£*†-..,,,¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨,,,..-†*£
##¶§*$^=:¨ ¨:=^$*§¶##
##@&£%\»^. the soil is muddy. i slip when trying .^»\%£&@##
¶¤*~»,,.¨¨ to get up, still looking at the ¨¨.,,»~*¤¶
##@@%%:«^¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨^«:%%@@##
##£#@§\»^. hands, who are busy putting things in .^»\§@#£##
####¤^*~., my pockets. ,.~*^¤####
#%:--¨,¨,¨ ¨,¨,¨--:%#
##¶££^†«~, then i run east toward my home. ,~«†^££¶##
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@#¤†*~,¨.¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨.¨,~*†¤#@
#@¶¤¤%/»^. clearing where you at first can spot .^»/%¤¤¶@#
#£*;^,.,.. the house, not yet really in the ..,.,^;*£#
@§$»~,¨.¨¨ 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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