.:~†§§&@@@                                          @@@&§§†~:.
.:~~†††§&@                                          @&§†††~~:.
.:~†§§@###                                          ###@§§†~:.
......:†§&                                          &§†:......
......~†§&                                          &§†~......
.....:†§§& .                   .                  . &§§†:.....
.:~†§§&### .       .       .       .       .      . ###&§§†~:.
....:~§§§& :     :    :     :     :     :    :    : &§§§~:....
.:~†§§&@## ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~ ##@&§§†~:.
.:~†§§&@## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##@&§§†~:.
.:~†§§&@@@                                          @@@&§§†~:.
.:~†§§&@## 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.          &&§†~.....
.:~†§§&@##                                          ##@&§§†~:.
...::~§§&& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &&§§~::...
.:~†§§&@## ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~ ##@&§§†~:.
....:†§&&@ :    :    :     :    :     :     :     : @&&§†:....
.:~†§&@### .       .       .       .      .       . ###@&§†~:.
....:††§&@ .                  .                   . @&§††:....
.:~~†§§§@#                                          #@§§§†~~:.
.:~†§§&@##                                          ##@&§§†~:.
.:~†§§&@##                                          ##@&§§†~:.
.:~†§§&@##                                          ##@&§§†~:.
.:~†§§&###                                          ###&§§†~:.