¤¤¤%%%:~:¨ ¨:~:%%%¤¤¤
@¤&%~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~%&¤@
##@#&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&#@##
##@#&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&#@##
#¤&&:::::¨ ¨:::::&&¤#
@¤%::~~~:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:~~~::%¤@
##@¤&%:~:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:~:%&¤@##
@¤¤&&%:~:¨ : : : : : : : : ¨:~:%&&¤¤@
¤%%~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~%%¤
##@¤&%:~:¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨:~:%&¤@##
#@#¤&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&¤#@#
##@#&%:~:¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨:::&¤
###¤&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&¤###
##@#¤%:~:¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨:~:%¤#@##
@@#¤&%:~:¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨:~:%&¤#@@
¤¤%%:~¨¨¨¨ : : : : : : : : ¨¨¨¨~:%%¤¤
@@#¤&%:~:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:~:%&¤#@@
#@#¤&%:~:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:~:%&¤#@#
@##¤&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&¤##@
@@#¤&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&¤#@@
¤%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%¤
@#¤&&%:~:¨ ¨:~:%&&¤#@
##@#¤&:~:¨ ¨:~:&¤#@##