§§¨§§¨§§§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨¨§¨
§§¨§§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨
§§¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
§§¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
§§§¨¨§¨§§¨ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ §§§¨¨§¨§§¨
§¨§§¨¨¨§§§ ,     ,     ,    ,    ,     ,     ,    , §¨§§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§¨§ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~ ¨¨§§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨§¨§§¨§§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨ 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.          §§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨§§§¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨ ,     ,     ,    ,    ,    ,     ,     , ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨ §¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§§¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨                                          §¨¨¨§§§¨¨§