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