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