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