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