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