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