#####,,#,, ,,#,,##,,#
####,,,,,# ,,,,,,,,,,
,##,,###,, #########,
,,,,,,#,,, ,#######,,
#####,,,## ,,#####,,#
####,,#,,# , , , #,,###,,,,
,##,,,,,,, , , , , , , ,,,,#,,##,
,,,,#####, : : : : : : : : ###,,,,,,,
###,,###,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ##,,######
##,,,,#,,# //////////////////////////////////////// ,,,,,#####
#,,##,,,,, ####,,####
,,,,,,#### 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. ,,,#####,,
#,,###,,,, ##,,###,,#
,,,,#,,### //////////////////////////////////////// ,,,,,#,,,,
###,,,,,## ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ####,,,###
##,,###,,# : : : : : : : : ###,,#,,##
#,,,,#,,,, , , , , , , ##,,,,,,,#
,,##,,,### , , , #,,#####,,
#,,,,#,,## ,,,,###,,#
,,##,,,,,# ###,,#,,,,
#,,,,###,, ##,,,,,###
,,##,,#,,, #,,###,,##
,,,,,,,,## ,,,,#,,,,,