.....««†$# #$†««.....
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..
......^$$@ @$$^......
......«†@# #@†«......
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..
..«^†††$@@ . . . @@$†††^«..
..«^†$@### . . . . . . ###@$†^«..
....«^††$# . . . . . . . . #$††^«....
..«^†$@### « « « « « « « « « « « ###@$†^«..
..«^†$@### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###@$†^«..
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..
..«^†$#### JUST OFF THE COAST TO THE BALTIC SEA ####$†^«..
..«^†$@### THERE'S A FRESHWATER POND, SECLUDED ###@$†^«..
..«^†$@### AMONG ASHEN AND JUNIPER. A CLEFT IN THE ###@$†^«..
.....^^^$@ LIMESTONE BEDROCK, SHARP-CUT FROM THE @$^^^.....
......«^†@ 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 @†^«......
...««^^$@# DANCE IN THE SUNBEAMS. #@$^^««...
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..
..«^†$@### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###@$†^«..
.....«^$@# « « « « « « « « « « « #@$^«.....
..«^†$@### . . . . . . . . ###@$†^«..
..«^†$@### . . . . . . ###@$†^«..
.......«†@ . . . @†«.......
.....«†††@ @†††«.....
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..
..«^†††$@# #@$†††^«..
..«^†$@### ###@$†^«..