¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§§§§¨§
¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§§§¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨§§¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨§¨§§                                          §§¨¨§¨§§¨§
§¨¨§§§§§¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§¨§§§¨§§¨
§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ §§§¨¨§§¨§§
§§§¨¨¨§§¨§ :    :    :     :    :     :     :     : ¨¨§¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «  «   «   « ¨§§§§§¨§¨§
¨§§¨§§§¨§§ //////////////////////////////////////// §¨¨¨¨§§§§§
§¨§§¨¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§§¨§¨§¨§¨¨ 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.          §¨¨§§§§¨§§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨§¨¨¨§§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// §§§¨¨§¨§§§
¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨§ «   «   «   «   «  «   «   «   «   «   « ¨¨§¨§§§¨¨¨
§§¨¨§§§§§§ :     :    :     :     :    :     :    : ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ §¨¨§¨§§¨¨§
§§§§¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §¨§§§¨§¨§§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨                                          §§¨¨§§§§¨¨
¨¨§§¨¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§¨§§§§§                                          §§§§¨¨§§¨¨
§§§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨§¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§§§§¨§