†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†
*†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†*
&*†=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=†*&
#&*†=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=†*&#
£#&*†=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=†*&#£
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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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