¨,~~~/$### ###$/~~~,¨
¨,~/$$#### ####$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,/$# #$/,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~$$$## ##$$$~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨,/$$##@ @##$$/,¨¨¨
¨~/$$##@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@##$$/~¨
¨,~/$$#@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@#$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,~$# , , , , , , , , #$~,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~/$$##@# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #@##$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$##@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@##$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨~~/$## ##$/~~¨¨¨¨
¨,~/$$##@@ just off the coast to the baltic sea @@##$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨,/$$## there's a freshwater pond, secluded ##$$/,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~/$# among ashen and juniper. a cleft in the #$/~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~~$## limestone bedrock, sharp-cut from the ##$~~,¨¨¨¨
¨,~/$$##@# surrounding plains, a ninety degree #@##$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨,~//$# drop down, down, to the midnight-black #$//~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~$$# water. #$$~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~/$# #$/~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~/$$##@# ~~~~$$$$$$$$~~~~ #@##$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$##@@ ~~$$ $$~~ @@##$$/~,¨
¨¨¨,,/$##@ ~~~~~$$ fairies live here. $$~~~~~ @##$/,,¨¨¨
¨,~/$$#### ~~$$ $$~~ ####$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$$$#@ ~~~~$$$$$$$$~~~~ @#$$$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$#### ####$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨,/$$$# 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. @#$$/~,¨¨¨
¨,~/$$$### ###$$$/~,¨
¨¨¨,//$$#@ //////////////////////////////////////// @#$$//,¨¨¨
¨,~/$$##@@ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @@##$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$##@# , , , , , , , , #@##$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$##@# ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #@##$$/~,¨
¨,,,,~$$#@ ¨ ¨ ¨ @#$$~,,,,¨
¨,~/$$##@# #@##$$/~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~/$$# #$$/~¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~/$$##@@ @@##$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$###@ @###$$/~,¨
¨,~/$$##@# #@##$$/~,¨