§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §§¨§¨§¨¨§¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ §¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§§ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ §§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§ :    :     :    :    :     :     :     : §§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~ §¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ 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.          §§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~ ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨ :    :    :     :    :     :     :     : ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ §¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨