¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨ ^    ^     ^     ^     ^    ^    ^     ^ §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§ =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =  = §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§ 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.          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨ =   =   =   =   =   =   =  =   =   =   = §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§ ^    ^    ^     ^    ^     ^     ^     ^ §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ §§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨