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