#$$†††,,,, ,,,,†††$$#
####$$†~,, ,,~†$$####
###$$††~,, ,,~††$$###
##$$~,,,,, ,,,,,~$$##
#####$$~,, ,,~$$#####
####$$†~,, , , , ,,~†$$####
###$$$†~,, , , , , , , ,,~†$$$###
#$†~,,,,,, , , , , , , , , ,,,,,,~†$#
###$~,,,,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,,,,,~$###
####$$†~,, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, JUST OFF THE COAST TO THE BALTIC SEA ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, THERE'S A FRESHWATER POND, SECLUDED ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, AMONG ASHEN AND JUNIPER. A CLEFT IN THE ,,~†$$####
#$$†~~,,,, LIMESTONE BEDROCK, SHARP-CUT FROM THE ,,,,~~†$$#
#####$$†~, SURROUNDING PLAINS, A NINETY DEGREE ,~†$$#####
####$$†~,, DROP DOWN, DOWN, TO THE MIDNIGHT-BLACK ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, WATER. ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, ~~~~$$$$$$$$~~~~ ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, ~~$$ $$~~ ,,~†$$####
##$$$$†~,, ~~~~~$$ 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. ,,,,~$$###
###$†,,,,, ,,,,,†$###
#$$$†,,,,, †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ,,,,,†$$$#
##$$$$†~,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,,~†$$$$##
####$$†~,, , , , , , , , , ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, , , , , , , ,,~†$$####
###$†~~,,, , , , ,,,~~†$###
####$$†~,, ,,~†$$####
####$$†~,, ,,~†$$####
#####$†~,, ,,~†$#####
####$$†~,, ,,~†$$####
#####$†~,, ,,~†$#####