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