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##@£$*^-^. . . . .^-^*$£@##
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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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