##¤%^=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=^%¤##
¤*==¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨==*¤
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
#¤*^:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:^*¤#
##@#%*^=:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:=^*%#@##
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
@#¤%%*^=:¨ : : : : : : : : ¨:=^*%%¤#@
@@#¤%*^=:¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨:=^*%¤#@@
##@¤%*^=:¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨:=^*%¤@##
¤%*^=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=^*%¤
¤¤¤%^^^=:¨ 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. ¨:=^*¤#@##
¤¤¤%*^::¨¨ ¨¨::^*%¤¤¤
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
###¤%*^=:¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨:=^*%¤###
#@#¤%*^=:¨ : : : : : : : : ¨:=^*%¤#@#
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
¤%^::::¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨::::^%¤
##@#%*^=:¨ ¨:=^*%#@##
##%%^=:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:=^%%##
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
#@#¤%*^=:¨ ¨:=^*%¤#@#
¤%%^^==¨¨¨ ¨¨¨==^^%%¤