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§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨ §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨ §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨ §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§ , , , , , , , , ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ §¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ **************************************** §§¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. §§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨ §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ **************************************** §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨ , , , , , , , , ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨