####§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§####
##@#§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§#@##
#%%††~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~††%%#
#@##§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§##@#
#§§§%~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~%§§§#
###§%††~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~††%§###
@§%%†~¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨~†%%§@
##§%~~¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨~~%§##
###@#§%†~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~†%§#@###
##@#§%†~~¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨~~†%§#@##
###@§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§@###
##@#§%†~~¨ 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. ¨~~†%§#@##
###@#§%†~¨ ¨~†%§#@###
##@#§%†~~¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨~~†%§#@##
##@#§%†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†%§#@##
##@#§%†~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~†%§#@##
#@@#§%†~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~†%§#@@#
@#%~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~%#@
##@#§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§#@##
##§§§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§§§##
###§†~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~†§###
##@#§%†~~¨ ¨~~†%§#@##
#§§%~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~%§§#