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