&&&&,&&,&&                                          &,&,,&&,&&
,,,&&,&&,&                                          &&&,&,&&,,
,,&,&&,&&&                                          ,,&&&&,&,,
,&&&,&&,,&                                          ,&,,,&&&,,
&,,&&,&,&,                                          &&,,&,,&,,
&,&,&&&&&& ,                  ,                   , ,&,&&,&&,&
&&&&,,,,,& ,       ,       ,       ,      ,       , &&&,&&,&&,
,,,&,,,,&& .     .     .    .     .     .    .    . ,,&&,&&,&&
,,&&,,,&,, ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ ,&,&&,&&,&
,&,&,,&&,& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &&&,&&,&&&
&&&&,&,&&,                                          ,,&&,&&,,&
,,,&&&&,&& 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.          &,&&,,&,,&
,,,&,,,,&&                                          &&,&,&&,&&
,,&&,,,&,, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,&&&&,&&,&
,&,&,,&&,& ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ &,,,&&,&&&
&&&&,&,&&& .     .     .     .    .     .    .    . &,,&,&&,,&
,,,&&&&,,, ,       ,       ,       ,       ,      , &,&&&,&,&,
,,&,,,&,,& ,                  ,                   , &&,,&&&&&,
,&&,,&&,&&                                          ,&,&,,,,&,
&,&,&,&&,,                                          &&&&,,,&&,
&&&&&&,&,,                                          ,,,&,,&,&&
,,,,,&&&,,                                          ,,&&,&&&,,
,,,,&,,&,,                                          ,&,&&,,&,,