,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,^~†*%%%§# #§%%%*†~^,
,^~†*%%§§# #§§%%*†~^,
,^~†*%§### , , , ###§%*†~^,
,,^^††**§# , , , , , , #§**††^^,,
,,,,,,~†*§ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ §*†~,,,,,,
,^~*%§#### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ####§%*~^,
,^~†*%§### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ###§%*†~^,
,,,,,,~†*§ §*†~,,,,,,
,,,^~~†%## 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. ###§%*†~^,
,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,,,,^~**§# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #§**~^,,,,
,^~†*%§### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ###§%*†~^,
,,,,,~~†%§ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ §%†~~,,,,,
,,,,,^†*§# , , , , , , #§*†^,,,,,
,,^^^^~~*§ , , , §*~~^^^^,,
,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,,,,,~*%§# #§%*~,,,,,
,^~†*%§### ###§%*†~^,
,^~†%§#### ####§%†~^,