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