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