.&&..&.&.. ..&&.....&
&.&.&&&&.& .&.&....&&
&&&&...&&& &&&&...&..
...&..&..& ...&..&&.&
..&&.&&.&. ..&&.&.&&&
.&.&&.&&&. . . . .&.&&&&..&
&&&.&&..&. . . . . . . &&&...&.&&
..&&.&.&&& : : : : : : : : ..&..&&&..
.&.&&&&... - - - - - - - - - - - .&&.&..&..
&&&...&... //////////////////////////////////////// &.&&&.&&..
..&..&&... &&..&&.&.&
.&&.&.&..& 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. .&.&&...&.
.&.&.&.... &&&.&..&&&
&&&&&&...& //////////////////////////////////////// ..&&&.&..&
.....&..&. - - - - - - - - - - - .&..&&&.&.
....&&.&&. : : : : : : : : &&.&..&&&.
...&.&&.&& . . . . . . .&&&.&..&.
..&&&.&&.. . . . &..&&&.&&.
.&..&&.&.& &.&..&&.&.
&&.&.&&&&. &&&.&.&&&.
.&&&&...&. ..&&&&..&&
&...&..&&. .&...&.&.&
&..&&.&.&& &&..&&&&&.