§%††~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~††%§
%††~.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.~††%
††~.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~††
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ .     .    .    .     .    .     .     . ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ just  off  the  coast to the baltic  sea ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨   there's a freshwater pond, secluded    ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ among ashen  and juniper. a cleft in the ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  limestone bedrock, sharp-cut from the   ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨   surrounding plains, a ninety degree    ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
††~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ drop down, down, to  the  midnight-black ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~††
%††~.¨¨¨¨¨                  water.                  ¨¨¨¨¨.~††%
§%††~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~††%§
#§%††~.¨¨¨             ~~~~††††††††~~~~             ¨¨¨.~††%§#
##§%††~.¨¨         ~~††                ††~~         ¨¨.~††%§##
###§%††~.¨  ~~~~~††   fairies live here.   ††~~~~~  ¨.~††%§###
##§%††~.¨¨         ~~††                ††~~         ¨¨.~††%§##
#§%††~.¨¨¨             ~~~~††††††††~~~~             ¨¨¨.~††%§#
§%††~.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.~††%§
%††~.¨¨¨¨¨ they  speak  to the sloane,  caress  it, ¨¨¨¨¨.~††%
††~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ urge it to  grow thicker, tangled,  with ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~††
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ longer  and sharper thorns. they tell it ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ to stay  just below the  grass, so  that ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ the  animals  what  come  to  drink  the ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ water  cannot  see  it  before  it draws ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ their  blood.  closer  to the  pond, the ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ sloane can  grow taller, being  able  to ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨        hide also in the juniper.         ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ the fairies will beckon  the  animals to ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ push  forward,  tell them  that  they're ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ almost  at  the  water,  that  they  may ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ drink soon.  and they  will  tug on  the ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ sloane to make sure that the  thorns cut ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
††~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ deep. when  they finally  find  the path ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~††
%††~.¨¨¨¨¨ down  between  the rocks, away  from the ¨¨¨¨¨.~††%
§%††~.¨¨¨¨ bushwork and  into  the cleft, they  are ¨¨¨¨.~††%§
#§%††~.¨¨¨ bleeding  from  a  thousand  wounds.  as ¨¨¨.~††%§#
##§%††~.¨¨ they drink  from the  dark water, it  is ¨¨.~††%§##
###§%††~.¨ in  turn  drinking  the  animals  blood. ¨.~††%§###
##§%††~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~††%§##
#§%††~.¨¨¨ the  circle  is complete,  the  contract ¨¨¨.~††%§#
§%††~.¨¨¨¨ carried out; the animal is  abandoned to ¨¨¨¨.~††%§
%††~.¨¨¨¨¨ find its own way back. the bushes  roots ¨¨¨¨¨.~††%
††~.¨¨¨¨¨¨ drink the  nutrutious water. the fairies ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~††
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨          dance in the sunbeams.          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ .     .    .    .     .    .     .     . ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~