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