¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨¨¨:-^^^*# #*^^^-:¨¨¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨¨¨¨--†&&& ¨ ¨ ¨ &&&†--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-^**&& ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ &&**^-¨¨¨¨
¨:-^††***& : : : : : : : : &***††^-:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†*& - - - - - - - - - - - &*†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:-^†*&### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###&*†^-:¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨:-^†*&### 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. &**^--:¨¨¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨¨¨¨:^††&# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #&††^:¨¨¨¨
¨:-^^^*&&# - - - - - - - - - - - #&&*^^^-:¨
¨:-^†**&&# : : : : : : : : #&&**†^-:¨
¨¨:-^^^^†& ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ &†^^^^-:¨¨
¨:-^†*&### ¨ ¨ ¨ ###&*†^-:¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨
¨¨::^†††&# #&†††^::¨¨
¨¨¨:--†**& &**†--:¨¨¨
¨:-^†*&### ###&*†^-:¨