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