¨^=/%*&@## ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/*&@### ###@&*/=^¨
¨^=/%*&@## ##@&*%/=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^/*&@ @&*/^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=/%*&@## ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%*&@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%*## ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ###&*%/=^¨
¨¨¨¨==/%&@ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ @&%/==¨¨¨¨
¨^=/%*&&@@ = = = = = = = = = = = @@&&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%**&&& //////////////////////////////////////// &&&**%/=^¨
¨^=/%*&@## ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%%%**@ 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. ##@&*%/=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^/%&& &&%/^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^=/%*&@## //////////////////////////////////////// ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%*&@## = = = = = = = = = = = ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%*&@## ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ##@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%*** ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #&***%/=^¨
¨^=/%&@### ¨ ¨ ¨ ###@&%/=^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=/*@ @*/=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^//%**@ @**%//^¨¨¨
¨^=/%*&@@# #@@&*%/=^¨
¨^=/%&@### ###@&%/=^¨
¨^=/*&@### ###@&*/=^¨