.:~†=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@@@#                                          #@@@$=†~:.
...~~=$$¶¶                                          ¶¶$$=~~...
.....:~~=@ .                  .                   . @=~~:.....
.:~†=$@¶## .       .       .       .      .       . ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶## :    :     :     :    :     :    :     : ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶## ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@¶## just  off the coast to  the  baltic  sea ##¶@$=†~:.
.....:~†$¶   there's a freshwater pond, secluded    ¶$†~:.....
.:~†=$@¶## among ashen and juniper.  a cleft in the ##¶@$=†~:.
.:~†=$@@@@  limestone bedrock, sharp-cut from the   @@@@$=†~:.
..:::†=$$@   surrounding plains, a ninety degree    @$$=†:::..
.:~†==$@@# drop down, down,  to the  midnight-black #@@$==†~:.
....~==@@#                  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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....:~=$@¶ .                  .                   . ¶@$=~:....
.:~†=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=†~:.
....~~†$@¶                                          ¶@$†~~....
...:~††=@#                                          #@=††~:...
...::~†==@                                          @==†~::...
.:~†=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=†~:.