###$**~:¨¨ ¨¨:~**$###
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##$**~:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ : : : : : : : : ¨¨¨:~**$##
###$**~:¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨:~**$###
####$**~:¨ **************************************** ¨:~**$####
###$**~:¨¨ ¨¨:~**$###
##$**~:¨¨¨ just off the coast to the baltic sea ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ there's a freshwater pond, secluded ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ among ashen and juniper. a cleft in the ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ limestone bedrock, sharp-cut from the ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ surrounding plains, a ninety degree ¨¨¨:~**$##
###$**~:¨¨ drop down, down, to the midnight-black ¨¨:~**$###
####$**~:¨ water. ¨:~**$####
###$**~:¨¨ ¨¨:~**$###
##$**~:¨¨¨ ~~~~********~~~~ ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ~~** **~~ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~** fairies live here. **~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ~~** **~~ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ ~~~~********~~~~ ¨¨¨:~**$##
###$**~:¨¨ ¨¨:~**$###
####$**~:¨ they speak to the sloane, caress it, ¨:~**$####
###$**~:¨¨ urge it to grow thicker, tangled, with ¨¨:~**$###
##$**~:¨¨¨ longer and sharper thorns. they tell it ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ to stay just below the grass, so that ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ the animals what come to drink the ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ water cannot see it before it draws ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ their blood. closer to the pond, the ¨¨¨:~**$##
###$**~:¨¨ sloane can grow taller, being able to ¨¨:~**$###
####$**~:¨ hide also in the juniper. ¨:~**$####
###$**~:¨¨ ¨¨:~**$###
##$**~:¨¨¨ the fairies will beckon the animals to ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ push forward, tell them that they're ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ almost at the water, that they may ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ drink soon. and they will tug on the ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ sloane to make sure that the thorns cut ¨¨¨:~**$##
###$**~:¨¨ deep. when they finally find the path ¨¨:~**$###
####$**~:¨ down between the rocks, away from the ¨:~**$####
###$**~:¨¨ bushwork and into the cleft, they are ¨¨:~**$###
##$**~:¨¨¨ bleeding from a thousand wounds. as ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ they drink from the dark water, it is ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ in turn drinking the animals blood. ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ the circle is complete, the contract ¨¨¨:~**$##
###$**~:¨¨ carried out; the animal is abandoned to ¨¨:~**$###
####$**~:¨ find its own way back. the bushes roots ¨:~**$####
###$**~:¨¨ drink the nutrutious water. the fairies ¨¨:~**$###
##$**~:¨¨¨ dance in the sunbeams. ¨¨¨:~**$##
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
$**~:¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨:~**$
#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#
##$**~:¨¨¨ : : : : : : : : ¨¨¨:~**$##
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#$**~:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:~**$#