,^~=%### ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ####&%=~^,
,,,,^=%### ###%=^,,,,
,,,^~=%% #&%%=~^,,,
,^~=%### ####&%=~^,
,,,,~%%# , , , ##&%%~,,,,
,^~=%### , , , , , , ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ####&%=~^,
,,,^^^=%%# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #%%=^^^,,,
,^~=%### ======================================== ####&%=~^,
,,,,^^=& #&&=^^,,,,
,,,,,~== 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. ##&=^,,,,,
,^~=%### ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ======================================== ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ####&%=~^,
,,,^^^~%## , , , , , , ##%~^^^,,,
,^~=%### , , , ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ####&%=~^,
,^~=%### ####&%=~^,
,,^^==%%## ##%%==^^,,
,,,,^=%% #&%%=^,,,,
,^~=%### ####&%=~^,