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