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