#£%†~:.¨,. .,¨.:~†%£#
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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. ,.¨...,-/^
£*/»,,.,¨, ,¨,.,,»/*£
£$$†-~..¨¨ ¨¨..~-†$$£
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