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