¨§§¨§§§§§§                                          ¨§§§§¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨§§§¨§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§§¨§§
§§§¨§¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨
§¨¨§§§¨§§¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ §§§¨§¨§§¨§
¨§¨§¨¨§§¨§ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨ §¨¨§§§§¨§§
§§§§§¨§¨§§ -     -     -    -     -    -     -    - §§¨§¨¨¨§§¨
§¨¨¨¨§§§§¨ «   «   «   «   «   «  «   «   «   «   « §¨§§§¨¨§¨§
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§§¨¨§¨§§§
§§§¨¨§§¨¨§                                          §¨¨§¨§§§¨¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§¨§ 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.          ¨¨§¨¨§§¨§¨
¨¨§§§§¨§§¨                                          §¨§§¨§¨§§§
§¨§¨¨¨§§¨§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨§§¨§§§§¨¨
§§§§¨¨§¨§§ «   «   «   «   «   «   «  «   «   «   « ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨¨§¨§§§¨ -     -     -    -     -     -    -    - §§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨§¨¨§§§¨¨§ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨¨§§§¨§¨
¨§§¨§¨¨§¨§ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
§§¨§§§¨§§§                                          §¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§§¨¨                                          §§¨¨§¨§§§¨
§§§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          §¨§¨§§§¨¨§
¨¨¨§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§¨¨§¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨§§§