$=^~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~^=$
=^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^=
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ : : : : : : : : ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^
=^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^=
$=^~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~^=$
£$=^~:¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨:~^=$£
@£$=^~:¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨:~^=$£@
#@£$=^~:¨¨ : : : : : : : : ¨¨:~^=$£@#
##@£$=^~:¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨:~^=$£@##
#@£$=^~:¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨:~^=$£@#
@£$=^~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~^=$£@
£$=^~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~^=$£
$=^~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~^=$
=^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^=
^~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~^