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