,,,,~~*%## ##%*~~,,,,
,,,,,*%%%¶ ¶%%%*,,,,,
,,~**%%%¶¶ ¶¶%%%**~,,
,,~*%%#¶@# #@¶#%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶@# #@¶#%%*~,,
,,,,,,,~%# , , , #%~,,,,,,,
,,~*%%%#¶¶ , , , , , , ¶¶#%%%*~,,
,,,~~~~%## , , , , , , , , ##%~~~~,,,
,,~*%%#¶@# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #@¶#%%*~,,
,,~*%%%%¶@ **************************************** @¶%%%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶@# #@¶#%%*~,,
,,,,,,,*%# 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. ##@¶%%*~,,
,,,~**%%## ##%%**~,,,
,,~*%%#¶@# **************************************** #@¶#%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶@@ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @@¶#%%*~,,
,,,,,**%#@ , , , , , , , , @#%**,,,,,
,,,,,~%%¶@ , , , , , , @¶%%~,,,,,
,,~*%%%%%¶ , , , ¶%%%%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶@# #@¶#%%*~,,
,,~*%%%%## ##%%%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶@# #@¶#%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶@@ @@¶#%%*~,,
,,~*%%#¶¶¶ ¶¶¶#%%*~,,