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