¨§§§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨¨¨                                          §§§§§¨¨§§¨
§¨§¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§§
§§§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨§§§¨§¨¨§ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§§¨¨¨§§§§
¨§¨¨§§§¨§¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ §¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
§§¨§¨¨§§§§ ,    ,    ,     ,     ,     ,    ,     , §§§¨§§¨¨§§
¨§§§¨§¨¨¨§ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~ ¨¨§§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨§¨§§§§§¨¨
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §§§¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§§¨§§§¨§¨ 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.          §§§¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§¨¨§¨¨§
¨¨§§§¨§¨§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨§¨§¨§§¨§§
¨§¨¨§§§§¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ §§§§§¨§§¨§
§§¨§¨¨¨§¨§ ,     ,     ,    ,     ,    ,    ,     , ¨¨¨¨§§¨§§§
¨§§§¨¨§§§§ ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
§¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨§§§¨§¨¨¨
§¨§§§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨§§§¨¨§
§§¨¨¨§¨§§§                                          §§¨§¨¨§¨§¨
¨§¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§§§§§
§§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨¨¨§¨