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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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¨,..@¨¨¤¨@ ¨§¤.@§.,¨£