¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨
§§§§§§¨¨¨¨                                          §§§¨¨¨¨§§§
§§§§§¨¨§§¨                                          §§¨¨§§¨¨§§
§§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
§§§¨¨§§§§§                                          ¨¨§§§§§§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§§§§ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨¨§§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨§§¨ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ §§¨¨§§¨¨§§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ .    .     .    .     .     .    .     . §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§§§§§ «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «  « ¨¨§§§§§§§§
¨§¨¨§§§§§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨§§§§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§§§                                          §§¨¨§§§§¨¨
§§§§¨¨§§§§ 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.          §¨¨§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§§§§§§§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§ «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «  «   «   « §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§ .    .     .    .    .     .     .     . §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§