¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ,     ,     ,    ,     ,    ,     ,    , ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨ =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =  = ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨ **************************************** §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§                                          §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§ 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.          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ **************************************** §¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨ =  =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   = §§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨ ,    ,     ,     ,    ,     ,    ,     , ¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨ ¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§§