†=~....... .......~=†
§†=~...... ......~=†§
$§†=~..... .....~=†§$
¤$§†=~.... ....~=†§$¤
#¤$§†=~... ...~=†§$¤#
##¤$§†=~.. . . . ..~=†§$¤##
###¤$§†=~. . . . . . . .~=†§$¤###
##¤$§†=~.. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ..~=†§$¤##
#¤$§†=~... = = = = = = = = = = = ...~=†§$¤#
¤$§†=~.... †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ....~=†§$¤
$§†=~..... .....~=†§$
§†=~...... 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 ......~=†§
$§†=~..... they drink from the dark water, it is .....~=†§$
¤$§†=~.... in turn drinking the animals blood. ....~=†§$¤
#¤$§†=~... ...~=†§$¤#
##¤$§†=~.. the circle is complete, the contract ..~=†§$¤##
###¤$§†=~. carried out; the animal is abandoned to .~=†§$¤###
##¤$§†=~.. find its own way back. the bushes roots ..~=†§$¤##
#¤$§†=~... drink the nutrutious water. the fairies ...~=†§$¤#
¤$§†=~.... dance in the sunbeams. ....~=†§$¤
$§†=~..... .....~=†§$
§†=~...... †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ......~=†§
†=~....... = = = = = = = = = = = .......~=†
=~........ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ........~=
†=~....... . . . . . . .......~=†
§†=~...... . . . ......~=†§
$§†=~..... .....~=†§$
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##¤$§†=~.. ..~=†§$¤##
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