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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. ††----- #,#,,,,,,,
,,#,##,,#, --†† ††-- ,###,,,,,,
,,###,#,## ----††††††††---- ,#,,#,,,,,
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,,##,#,,,# 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. #,#,,,,#,#
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#,,#,#,##, 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. #,,,#,,##,
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