#%=†--,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,--†=%#
##%†-,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,-†%##
#%=-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-=%#
&&&&%=†-,¨ ¨,-†=%&&&&
##&%†-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-†%&##
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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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&==-,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,-==&
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###&%=†-,¨ ¨,-†=%&###
###&%=†-,¨ ¨,-†=%&###