#@#££†\«~. .~«\†££#@#
£†«~...... ......~«†£
##£††««... ...««††£##
£††\\\~~.. ..~~\\\††£
@££†««~... ...~««†££@
@@#££†\«~. . . . .~«\†££#@@
##@££†\«~. . . . . . . .~«\†££@##
££†\\«.... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ....«\\†££
@#£†\~~... « « « « « « « « « « « ...~~\†£#@
£££\~..... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .....~\£££
£££\~~.... ....~~\£££
#£\«...... 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. ....«\\££#
#@#££†\«~. .~«\†££#@#
£†\««~.... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ....~««\†£
##@#££†\«. « « « « « « « « « « « .«\†££#@##
#£££††\«~. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ .~«\††£££#
#@#££†\«~. . . . . . . .~«\†££#@#
£†\«~..... . . . .....~«\†£
££†\«~.... ....~«\†££
#@#££†\«~. .~«\†££#@#
££††\~~~.. ..~~~\††££
£££†«..... .....«†£££
###££†\«~. .~«\†££###