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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. @%$^~~....
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..~~^$%@£# ~~~~$$$$$$$$~~~~ #£@%$^~~..
.~~^$%@£## ~~$$ $$~~ ##£@%$^~~.
..~~^$%@£# ~~~~~$$ fairies live here. $$~~~~~ #£@%$^~~..
...~~^$%@£ ~~$$ $$~~ £@%$^~~...
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......~~^$ 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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