$†:=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=:†$
¤$†:=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=:†$¤
#¤$†:=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=:†$¤#
##¤$†:=,¨¨ ¨¨,=:†$¤##
###¤$†:=,¨ ¨,=:†$¤###
##¤$†:=,¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨,=:†$¤##
#¤$†:=,¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨,=:†$¤#
¤$†:=,¨¨¨¨ , , , , , , , , ¨¨¨¨,=:†$¤
$†:=,¨¨¨¨¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨¨¨¨¨,=:†$
†:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:†
:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:†
:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:
†:=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ , , , , , , , , ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=:†
$†:=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=:†$
¤$†:=,¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨,=:†$¤
#¤$†:=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=:†$¤#
##¤$†:=,¨¨ ¨¨,=:†$¤##
###¤$†:=,¨ ¨,=:†$¤###
##¤$†:=,¨¨ ¨¨,=:†$¤##
#¤$†:=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=:†$¤#