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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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