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