###&*$†~.¨ ¨.~†$*&###
##*††††~.¨ ¨.~††††*##
###&*$†~.¨ ¨.~†$*&###
&***$$†~.¨ ¨.~†$$***&
#*$$††~.¨¨ ¨¨.~††$$*#
#&*$~~~~.¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨.~~~~$*&#
#&&$~..¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨..~$&&#
###&*$†~.¨ . . . . . . . . ¨.~†$*&###
###&*$†~.¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨.~†$*&###
&$†††...¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨...†††$&
####*$†~.¨ ¨.~†$*####
###&*$†~.¨ JUST OFF THE COAST TO THE BALTIC SEA ¨.~†$*&###
##***$†~.¨ THERE'S A FRESHWATER POND, SECLUDED ¨.~†$***##
###&*$†~.¨ AMONG ASHEN AND JUNIPER. A CLEFT IN THE ¨.~†$*&###
###&*$†~.¨ LIMESTONE BEDROCK, SHARP-CUT FROM THE ¨.~†$*&###
##&&*$†~.¨ SURROUNDING PLAINS, A NINETY DEGREE ¨.~†$*&&##
###&*$†~.¨ DROP DOWN, DOWN, TO THE MIDNIGHT-BLACK ¨.~†$*&###
####&*$~.¨ WATER. ¨.~$*&####
###&*$†~.¨ ¨.~†$*&###
&*†~.¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~$$$$$$$$~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨.~†*&
####*$†~.¨ ~~$$ $$~~ ¨.~†$*####
###&*$†~.¨ ~~~~~$$ 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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