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¨.&¨#,¤.,¤ ¨.¤¨#.&£,#
,£#¨£,@.#@ statuette .&&¨#¨,@,§
¨,@,§.@¨¨£ .,§,£,@#¨&
¨££.£¨@¨#§ £*$$$££¤£%*££§$£=»~--=«~£$§@@*¤%£$£$$$&@ .§&,#,¨£,#
,,#¨@.§,¨& %%%%&££%£ ..£,£.#£,#
.@§.¤.§¨## .@&,£..#,§
,.&¨¤¨&,.£ 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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