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...^-*^£§# 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. #§£^*-^...
..^-*^£§#@ @#§£^*-^..
.^-*^£§#@# **************************************** #@#§£^*-^.
..^-*^£§#@ - - - - - - - - - - - @#§£^*-^..
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