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##£#£*\~., %@@£&%**£ ,.~\*£#£##
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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. ¨..,..-%†&
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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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