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