£@*\~~.,,¨ ¨,,.~~\*@£
@@¤*/-..,¨ ¨,..-/*¤@@
#@&@=†~~.¨ ¨.~~†=@&@#
#@#@$$*~:. .:~*$$@#@#
#@£$†\~,., ,.,~\†$£@#
#&@†^~~,¨¨ 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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