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