†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†
=†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†=
#=†=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=†=#
¶#=†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†=#¶
#¶#=†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†=#¶#
##¶#=†=,¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨,=†=#¶##
###¶#=†=,¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨,=†=#¶###
##¶#=†=,¨¨ , , , , , , , , ¨¨,=†=#¶##
#¶#=†=,¨¨¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨¨¨,=†=#¶#
¶#=†=,¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨,=†=#¶
#=†=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=†=#
=†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨,=†=#¶
#¶#=†=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=†=#¶#
##¶#=†=,¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨,=†=#¶##
###¶#=†=,¨ = = = = = = = = = = = ¨,=†=#¶###
##¶#=†=,¨¨ , , , , , , , , ¨¨,=†=#¶##
#¶#=†=,¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨,=†=#¶#
¶#=†=,¨¨¨¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨¨¨¨,=†=#¶
#=†=,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,=†=#
=†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†=
†=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=†
=,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,=
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,