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