#£&&%†~,.¨ ¨.,~†%&&£#
##@@$†==,. .,==†$@@##
##£§†=~,,¨ ¨,,~=†§£##
¶&$^^»^,¨. .¨,^»^^$&¶
§&===,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,===&§
£^=~~¨¨,¨¨ 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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