,,,,,,,,~« «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~« «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«/ , , , /«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«/* , , , , , , */«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«/*% ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ %*/«~,,,,,
,,,,~«/*%# « « « « « « « « « « « #%*/«~,,,,
,,,~«/*%## //////////////////////////////////////// ##%*/«~,,,
,,~«/*%### ###%*/«~,,
,~«/*%#### 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. %*/«~,,,,,
,,,,,,~«/* */«~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«/ //////////////////////////////////////// /«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~« « « « « « « « « « « « «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, , , , , , , ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ , , , ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~« «~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~«/ /«~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~«/* */«~,,,,,,
,,,,,~«/*% %*/«~,,,,,
,,,,~«/*%# #%*/«~,,,,