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