¤¤^^†=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=†^^¤¤
¤^^^=.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.=^^^¤
@#$†..¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨..†$#@
@@#¤$^†=.¨ ¨.=†^$¤#@@
@@#¤$^†=.¨ ¨.=†^$¤#@@
@##¤$^†=.¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨.=†^$¤##@
@#¤^=¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨=^¤#@
¤$$^^^†=.¨ . . . . . . . . ¨.=†^^^$$¤
¤$$†=..¨¨¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨¨¨..=†$$¤
@@#¤$^†=.¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨.=†^$¤#@@
#@#¤$^†=.¨ ¨.=†^$¤#@#
¤^==¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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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