###&£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£&###
###&£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£&###
&£%%%;,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,;%%%£&
###&£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£&###
###&£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£&###
###&£%;~,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,~;%£&###
#&£;;;~,¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨,~;;;£&#
###&£%;~,¨ , , , , , , , , ¨,~;%£&###
###&£%;~,¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨,~;%£&###
##&&£%;~,¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨,~;%£&&##
#£%;;;;~,¨ ¨,~;;;;%£#
###&£%;~,¨ 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. ¨,~;%£&###
####£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£####
###&£%;~,¨ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ¨,~;%£&###
&£%~~,,¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨,,~~%£&
###&£%;~,¨ , , , , , , , , ¨,~;%£&###
###&£%;~,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,~;%£&###
&%;;~~,¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨,~~;;%&
###&£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£&###
#£%%~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~%%£#
#&£%;;;~,¨ ¨,~;;;%£&#
&&&&£%;~,¨ ¨,~;%£&&&&
##&££%;~,¨ ¨,~;%££&##