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