¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          §¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§                                          §¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨ .    .    .     .     .     .     .    . §¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~ ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§ 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.          ¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ §¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ .    .     .     .    .    .     .     . ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨