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