¨.=*^%*%&@                                          @&%*%^*=.¨
.^=*^&@##@                                          @##@&^*=^.
.~=:$*@###                                          ###@*$:=~.
,.-\†§@¶@#                                          #@¶@§†\-.,
¨,»\†*@£##                                          ##£@*†\»,¨
¨,,.^»-†^§                 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.              ##%§;-,¨,¨
,~.~/**¤¤§                                          §¤¤**/~.~,
.~«^§¤&¶@#                                          #@¶&¤§^«~.
.,~=*£§£##                                          ##£§£*=~,.
,¨,¨¨~§&@¶                                          ¶@&§~¨¨,¨,
.¨¨.:-/%§#                                          #§%/-:.¨¨.
¨:=/*%£###                                          ###£%*/=:¨