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