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,:=†%%%%%§ = = = = = = = = = = = §%%%%%†=:,
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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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