..@....@.@ ..@@.....@
@..@...... @.@@@.....
.@..@..... ..@.@@....
..@..@.... ....@@@...
...@..@... ....@.@@..
....@..@.. . . . @.....@@@.
.....@..@. . . . . . . .@....@.@@
@.....@..@ , , , , , , , , ..@.....@@
@@.....@.. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ...@....@.
@@@.....@. †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ....@.....
@.@@.....@ @....@....
..@@@..... 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. .@......@.
..@..@..@. ..@......@
@..@..@..@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @..@......
.@..@..@.. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .@..@.....
..@..@..@. , , , , , , , , ..@..@....
...@..@..@ . . . . . . ...@..@...
....@..@.. . . . ....@..@..
.....@..@. .....@..@.
......@..@ @.....@..@
@......@.. @@.....@..
.@......@. @@@.....@.
..@......@ @.@@.....@