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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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