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