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