¨§§§¨§§¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨§§¨§§§                                          ¨§¨§§§¨¨§¨
§¨§¨§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨¨§¨§§
¨§§§§§§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨§§§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§                                          §§§¨§§§¨¨§
§§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§¨ ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨§¨§¨§§§
§¨¨§§¨¨§¨§ ,     ,    ,     ,    ,    ,     ,     , ¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨
§§¨§¨§¨§§§ «   «   «   «  «   «   «   «   «   «   « §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§¨§§§§§§¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          §§§§¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§§ 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.          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§§¨§¨¨§§¨§                                          §¨§§¨§§¨¨¨
§¨§§§¨§¨§§ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: §§§¨§§¨§¨¨
§§§¨¨§§§§¨ «   «   «   «   «   «  «   «   «   «   « §¨¨§§¨§§§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§ ,    ,    ,     ,    ,     ,     ,     , §§¨§¨§§¨¨§
¨§¨§§§§¨¨§ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ §¨§§§§¨§¨§
§§§§¨¨¨§¨§ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§§¨¨¨§§§§
¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§§                                          ¨§¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨¨                                          ¨§§§§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨§§¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          §§§¨¨§¨§§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§                                          §¨¨§¨§§§¨¨