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&,§,¤#.§&. %$£*§%§%£ &.£..¨£¤#,
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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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