§§§¨§¨¨§§§                                          §¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨¨§§§¨§¨¨                                          §§§§¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨§¨¨§§§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨
§§¨§§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨
§¨§§¨§§§¨§                                          ¨§§¨§¨§§¨§
¨§§¨§§¨¨§§ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨§¨§§§§¨§§
§§¨§§¨§¨§¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨ §§§§¨¨¨§§¨
§¨§§¨§§§§§ :    :     :    :     :     :    :     : §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§
¨§§¨§§¨¨¨¨ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~ §§¨¨§§¨§§§
§§¨§§¨§¨¨¨ ======================================== §¨§¨§¨§§¨¨
§¨§§¨§§§¨¨                                          §§§§§§§¨§¨
§§§¨§§¨¨§¨ 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.          ¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§§                                          §¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨§§¨§§¨§¨ ======================================== ¨§¨§§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨§§§ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨§§¨¨ :     :    :    :     :     :     :    : ¨§¨¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§¨¨§§¨§¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨ ¨§§¨§§¨§¨§
§¨§§¨§¨§§§ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨§¨§§¨§§§§
¨§§¨§§§§¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§§¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨§¨                                          §§¨¨§§¨§¨¨
¨§§§¨§¨¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨§¨§§§¨
¨§¨¨§§§¨§¨                                          ¨¨§§§§§¨¨§
§§§¨§¨¨§§§                                          §¨§¨¨¨¨§¨§