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