¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨§¨§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ §¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨ ~     ~    ~     ~    ~     ~    ~     ~ §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨ =   =   =   =   =  =   =   =   =   =   = §§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨ //////////////////////////////////////// §¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§ 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.          ¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨§¨§§¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨ =   =  =   =   =   =   =   =   =   =   = §§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨§§ ~     ~    ~    ~     ~     ~    ~     ~ §§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§ ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ §¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§