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