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