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