.@@@.@@@.@ ...@@@..@.
@..@@..@@@ ..@..@.@@.
@.@.@.@... .@@.@@@.@@
@@@@@@@..@ @.@@..@@..
......@.@. @@.@.@.@.@
.....@@@@@ . . . .@@@@@@@@@
....@....@ . . . . . . @........@
...@@...@. , , , , , , , , @.......@@
..@.@..@@@ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @......@.@
.@@@@.@..@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @.....@@@@
@...@@@.@. @....@...@
@..@..@@@. 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. .@@.@..@@@
@..@.@..@@ @.@@@.@...
@.@@@@.@.. †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @@..@@@..@
@@...@@@.@ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .@.@..@.@.
.@..@..@@@ , , , , , , , , @@@@.@@@@@
@@.@@.@..@ . . . . . . ...@@....@
.@@.@@@.@. . . . ..@.@...@.
@.@@..@@@. .@@@@..@@.
@@.@.@..@@ @...@.@.@@
.@@@@@.@.@ @..@@@@@..
@....@@@@. @.@....@..
@...@...@. @@@...@@.@