.¨.-^*@£@#                                          #@£@*^-.¨.
,,.--†%@@#                                          #@@%†--.,,
¨.,=\%$§##                                          ##§$%\=,.¨
,:»\$%@@##                                          ##@@%$\»:,
¨.~=;*&£@#                                          #@£&*;=~.¨
,¨,,-;*¤#@                 statuette                @#¤*;-,,¨,
.¨--\=%@@#                                          #@@%=\--¨.
,^=†^%¤### @&§$*$%*%@*$*@£%=~~~»~~~£%££%¤§*$§@&%%$@ ###¤%^†=^,
¨.^~\$$£##                 $%%$£&¤¤£                ##£$$\~^.¨
,.,,»/$$&#                                          #&$$/»,,.,
.¨,~/**¤@# 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 #@§$%\»~,.
..-==%§@## she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to ##@§%==-..
,¨^=*%¤###              throw it away.              ###¤%*=^¨,
¨..:«/*%&#                                          #&%*/«:..¨
..--*$&@@#                                          #@@&$*--..
,,~=*&§@##                                          ##@§&*=~,,
.¨.=*%$@@#                                          #@@$%*=.¨.
¨,¨~~;%$#@                                          @#$%;~~¨,¨
.,,-*§@§@#                                          #@§@§*-,,.