¨^~=*¤#@@@ @@@#¤*=~^¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨¨¨~~=*#@# #@#*=~~¨¨¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^=**# #**=^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^=¤@ ¨ ¨ ¨ @¤=^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~=*# ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #*=~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨¨¨¨~~~*¤# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #¤*~~~¨¨¨¨
¨~=*¤#@### ======================================== ###@#¤*=~¨
¨¨^^=***¤@ @¤***=^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨^~*¤## 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. #**=~~¨¨¨¨
¨^~=*¤#@@@ @@@#¤*=~^¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ======================================== ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨^~=**¤### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ###¤**=~^¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨¨¨¨~**¤#@ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ @#¤**~¨¨¨¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨¨¨¨~==¤#@ @#¤==~¨¨¨¨
¨^~=*¤#@## ##@#¤*=~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=¤# #¤=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~=*¤¤#@# #@#¤¤*=~^¨
¨^~=*¤¤¤#@ @#¤¤¤*=~^¨