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@&/»:¨.,.. statuette ..,.¨:»/&@
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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. ¨¨.,¨..=^§
^~,.¨,..¨, ,¨..,¨.,~^
».,,..,,,¨ 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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