@#%^~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~^%#@
@@#**^-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-^**#@@
@%%^---~¨¨ ¨¨~---^%%@
#*--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--*#
##@#%*^-~¨ ¨~-^*%#@##
####%*^-~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~-^*%####
#@@#%*^-~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~-^*%#@@#
#@%^^~~¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨~~^^%@#
@##%**^-~¨ - - - - - - - - - - - ¨~-^**%##@
##@#%*^-~¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨~-^*%#@##
@#*-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-*#@
@@@#%*^-~¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨-^^*#@
###@%*^-~¨ ¨~-^*%@###
##@#%*^-~¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨~-^*%#@##
##@#%*^-~¨ - - - - - - - - - - - ¨~-^*%#@##
##@#%*^-~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~-^*%#@##
##@#%*^-~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~-^*%#@##
@%^-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-^%@
@#%^-~~~~¨ ¨~~~~-^%#@
##@#%*^-~¨ ¨~-^*%#@##
##@#%*^-~¨ ¨~-^*%#@##
##*--~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~--*##
#@@#%*^-~¨ ¨~-^*%#@@#