¨.@@¤@&.## .,£.£.,.¨#
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#£,¨¨#,§&£ ¤¨..§¨.@.@
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¨#¤@.&#§,, statuette &££¤.&¨§@@
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#¨&.£¨¤#@# $$£¤%¤§$££@¤£@£%«-~~~~-~%¤*§$$§%£&&£$%$$ ,,&¨,¨¤,#¨
#§@£&#,,.£ *&&&§££&£ ¨¤¤,¨§§£&&
,.,,,§¨¨#, £¨¤.&.¨,.¨
,¨¨,£#¨£&, 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. &§#¤¤..,,.
.¨.¤.@§.£, ,,.,&,..,.
¨.@#£¨¤§¤@ ¨.,£@¨¨,.,
¨@.,¤#,,.¨ ,,§¨¤¨.,.,
#@,£,£.,¨. ¨§#@¤¨,,.¨
,¤§#¤£¨¨¨. £,.¨#..,,@
§.¨,.£,¨¨# #,.££,..§#