¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$$$### ###$$$†~.¨
¨¨..~†*### ###*†~..¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨..~$## ##$~..¨¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ¨ ¨ ¨ ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$### ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ###$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†*## . . . . . . . . ##*†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$*## ##*$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨.†$$*## just off the coast to the baltic sea ##*$$†.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†$$# there's a freshwater pond, secluded #$$†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~†$*##### among ashen and juniper. a cleft in the #####*$†~¨
¨.~†$*#### limestone bedrock, sharp-cut from the ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$## surrounding plains, a ninety degree ##$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†$$$**# drop down, down, to the midnight-black #**$$$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### water. ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### ~~~~$$$$$$$$~~~~ ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### ~~$$ $$~~ ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### ~~~~~$$ 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. ##$$†..¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### the circle is complete, the contract ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### carried out; the animal is abandoned to ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†$## find its own way back. the bushes roots ##$†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### drink the nutrutious water. the fairies ####*$†~.¨
¨¨.~††$### dance in the sunbeams. ###$††~.¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~$$## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##$$~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~$$$$# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #$$$$~¨¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### . . . . . . . . ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ####*$†~.¨
¨.~†$*#### ¨ ¨ ¨ ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨..~~$## ##$~~..¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.†$$# #$$†.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~††$# #$††~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~†$*#### ####*$†~.¨