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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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@@§*--.... ....--*§@@
#§§*††---. .---††*§§#
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