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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. @¤§,@.£.,@
¨£.§#,¤.@¨ .¨¤#£@£.§,
¤¤&¨£&§&@£ ,#,..,@&¤.
¨,@@.¨,¨¨¤ @£..,§.,£&
¨&.¤,,.¨&& ¨§..@#,&.£
@@&§.¨¨@,, £@¨£,£&£§&
¨,,§¨,@#,# ,££¤£.¨,,.