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#&**=««,,. statuette .,,««=**
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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. ,^-:^/\§$¤
@#¶£**†~,¨ ¨,~†**£¶#@
#£&$**:»~¨ / ¨~»:**$&£#
£§§^~~~¨¨, ,¨¨~~~^§§£
£=~~¨..,¨, i am not followed, and slow down in the ,¨,..¨~~=£
#£*^†~,¨¨¨ clearing where you at first can spot ¨¨¨,~†^*£#
§#*^†\»,,. the house, not yet really in the .,,»\†^*#§
##@&£%*«~, backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ,~«*%£&@##
#*«.:,,¨.¨ radio (now dented) but also a small ¨.¨,,:.«*#
#&§%~,,,.¨ clay figure i've never seen before. it ¨.,,,~%§
#@#££†/».¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨.»/†££#@#
#@@@¤^†~,¨ and i must've picked it up with my ¨,~†^¤@@@#
¤§%~^.,..¨ other belongings. ¨..,.^~%§¤
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#@@@£*:»:, it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ,:»:*£@@@#
@$%*==,.,, 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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