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