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