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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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