#§@@%%:~,¨ ¨,~:%%@@§#
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###
§§%~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~%§§
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###
§§%%::,,¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨,,::%%§§
###§@%:~,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,~:%@§###
###§@%:~,¨ , , , , , , , , ¨,~:%@§###
###§@%:~,¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨,~:%@§###
#@:,¨¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:@#
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###
####§@:~,¨ 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. ¨,~:%@§###
#§%:~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~:%§#
###§@%:~,¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨,~:%@§###
#@%%~,¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨,~%%@#
###§@%:~,¨ , , , , , , , , ¨,~:%@§###
#@:,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,:@#
##@@@%:~,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,~:%@@@##
§@%::,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,::%@§
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###
§%~,,,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,,,~%§
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###
###§@%:~,¨ ¨,~:%@§###