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