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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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