§¨¨§¨§§¨§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§§¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨§§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§§¨¨                                          §§¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨§§§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ -     -    -    -     -     -     -    - ¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ -   -   -   -   -   -   -  -   -   -   - ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨ 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.          ¨§§§¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ -   -   -   -   -   -  -   -   -   -   - ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨ -     -     -    -     -    -    -     - ¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨