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