¨¨¨¨##¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨¨¨#¨#¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨¨##¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# ¨ ¨ ¨ #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# . . . . . . . . #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ = = = = = = = = = = = #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# 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. #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ = = = = = = = = = = = #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# . . . . . . . . #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# ¨ ¨ ¨ #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨# #¨#¨#¨##¨#
¨#¨#¨#¨#¨¨ #¨#¨#¨¨#¨#