..~†=&#### ####&=†~..
..~†=&#### ####&=†~..
......~~=# #=~~......
..~†===&## ##&===†~..
.......†&# #&†.......
..~†=&#### . . . ####&=†~..
......~=&# . . . . . . #&=~......
..~†=&#### . . . . . . . . ####&=†~..
..~†=&#### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ####&=†~..
..~†=&#### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ####&=†~..
......~~=# #=~~......
..~†&##### 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. ####&=†~..
..~†=&#### ####&=†~..
..~†††&### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ###&†††~..
.......†=# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #=†.......
..~††††=## . . . . . . . . ##=††††~..
.....~†==# . . . . . . #==†~.....
....~~†=## . . . ##=†~~....
.....~=### ###=~.....
......†&## ##&†......
.....†=&&# #&&=†.....
..~†=&&&&# #&&&&=†~..
.....~==## ##==~.....