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