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