###&£§^~~. .~~^§£&###
#&£^~~~~.. ..~~~~^£&#
###&£§^~~. .~~^§£&###
&§^~...... ......~^§&
##&&£§^~~. .~~^§£&&##
&§§§^^^~~. . . . .~~^^^§§§&
###&£§^~~. . . . . . . .~~^§£&###
###&£§^~~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~~^§£&###
###&£§^~~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~~^§£&###
#&§^~~~... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ...~~~^§&#
####&§^~~. .~~^§&####
##&§~~~... 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. .~~^§£&###
#&&&£§^~~. .~~^§£&&&#
#&&§^~~... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ...~~^§&&#
&§~~...... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ......~~§&
####£§^~~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~~^§£####
#£§~~~.... . . . . . . ....~~~§£#
###&£§^~~. . . . .~~^§£&###
###&£§^~~. .~~^§£&###
###&£§^~~. .~~^§£&###
###&£§^~~. .~~^§£&###
##££§§^~~. .~~^§§££##
#&&§^~~~.. ..~~~^§&&#