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