,-~/=§§#@# #@#§§=/~-,
,,,,---/§§ §§/---,,,,
,,,-~//§§§ §§§//~-,,,
,---~/§§## ##§§/~---,
,-~/=§§#@@ @@#§§=/~-,
,-~/§§#@## , , , ##@#§§/~-,
,-~/=§§#@@ , , , , , , @@#§§=/~-,
,-~/=§§#@# - - - - - - - - #@#§§=/~-,
,-~/=§#@## ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ##@#§=/~-,
,-~/=§§#@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@#§§=/~-,
,-~/=§§#@# #@#§§=/~-,
,-~/===§#@ 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. ##@#§=/~-,
,,,,~=§§§# #§§§=~,,,,
,-~/=§§#@@ //////////////////////////////////////// @@#§§=/~-,
,-~/=§§#@@ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @@#§§=/~-,
,-~/=§§§## - - - - - - - - ##§§§=/~-,
,,,,,,~=§# , , , , , , #§=~,,,,,,
,,,,,-~=§§ , , , §§=~-,,,,,
,,,~~/=§§§ §§§=/~~,,,
,,,-~~==§# #§==~~-,,,
,-~/=====§ §=====/~-,
,-~/=§§### ###§§=/~-,
,-~/=§§### ###§§=/~-,