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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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