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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. #@£¤$§;«^,
¨-»=*¤##@# #@##¤*=»-¨
¨:~=%¤@¶@# : #@¶@¤%=~:¨
¨,¨.-^=*&@ @&*=^-.¨,¨
.,,»=%§^¤£ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight £¤^§%=»,,.
.^~:§¤£&¤# they had been a swampworld with sylvan #¤&£¤§:~^.
,.,.^^$&## 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 ##£#$^\~,¨
..~/*%@@## ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ##@@%*/~..
,,-:^¤£@## orange tin radio and a translucent ##@£¤^:-,,
,^=;†%@¶@# umbrella which i'm sitting on. #@¶@%†;=^,
¨,=:*%&¤¤¶ ¶¤¤&%*:=,¨
,¨,,.,~^&¤ ^ ¤&^~,.,,¨,
,,¨,~/%@## ##@%/~,¨,,
¨-»:=£§### somethings moving in the grass. it's ###§£=:»-¨
¨-*§&£¶### invisible to my eyes but i can feel ###¶£&§*-¨
¨:~*$@@¶@@ 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. ###@$*^«,.
¨-/*§¤£### ###£¤§*/-¨
,,»===\\&& it's a statuette of a girl laying naked &&\\===»,,
.,-;=§#££¶ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¶££#§=;-,.
¨--^§£#@## roughly seven centimeters long. it's ##@#£§^--¨
,.¨,,¨~%§# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #§%~¨,,¨.,
.,,~,.**&# #&**.,~,,.
.¨,,,.«$§@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @§$«.,,,¨.
.~~~~^%¤## particle board for it to dry on, but ##¤%^~~~~.
¨,-^*¤§### she is worried and wants me to ###§¤*^-,¨
¨,-^†£&£@# throw it away. #@£&£†^-,¨
,¨.¨¨,.=¤# #¤=.,¨¨.¨,
,,.-:\\@§¶ ¶§@\\:-.,,
,.=;*@¤£## ##£¤@*;=.,
.^=/=§$¤&@ @&¤$§=/=^.
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.-«**$£### ###£$**«-.