¤*:--¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨--:*¤
#$†/=^,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,^=/†$#
@&£*†~,,¨, ,¨,,~†*£&@
#@£%*/-,,, ,,,-/*%£@#
#@¶§*%;~^¨ ¨^~;%*§¶@#
#£§$§=«^,¨ statuette ¨,^«=§$§£#
@£*§/~:.,, ,,.:~/§*£@
&£=:~,¨¨¨¨ &%£$£&%&*£$$%%&%~«~»~«~~£%§¤%$&*@%¤$%&£$ ¨¨¨¨,~:=£&
%%/-:¨¨,,, %*&$&¤§*$ ,,,¨¨:-/%%
§^=:,.,.¨¨ ¨¨.,.,:=^§
/~~..¨,,., 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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