§¨§¨¨§§¨§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§§
¨§§§¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§§§§¨§                                          ¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§¨§¨¨¨§§                                          §§§§§¨§¨§¨
¨§¨§§§¨¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§§§§§
§§§§¨¨§¨§§ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨§§§¨ ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨§§¨¨§§¨¨¨
§§¨¨§§§¨¨§ -    -    -     -    -     -     -     - §§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨¨§¨§ -   -  -   -   -   -   -   -   -   -   - ¨¨§§§§§§§¨
§§§§§§¨§§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨ 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.          §§§¨¨§§¨§§
¨¨¨§§§¨§§§                                          §¨¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨§¨§§§§§¨§
§¨¨§§¨§¨§¨ -   -   -   -   -  -   -   -   -   -   - §§§§¨¨¨¨§§
¨§¨§¨§§§§§ -     -    -    -     -     -     -    - §¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨
¨§§§§§¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ §§¨¨§§¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨¨§¨§¨§¨§¨
§¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§§§§§§
¨§§§¨¨§¨§¨                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§¨§§§§                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§§¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨§§§§¨¨¨¨