..^~†^%@@@                                          @@@%^†~^..
...^~†^%@@                                          @@%^†~^...
....^~†^%@                                          @%^†~^....
.....^~†^%                                          %^†~^.....
......^~†^                                          ^†~^......
.......^~† .                  .                   . †~^.......
........^~ .      .       .       .       .       . ~^........
.......^~† ^     ^    ^    ^     ^     ^    ^     ^ †~^.......
......^~†^ ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~ ^†~^......
.....^~†^% †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† %^†~^.....
....^~†^%@                                          @%^†~^....
...^~†^%@@ 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.          %^†~^.....
....^~†^%@                                          @%^†~^....
...^~†^%@@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @@%^†~^...
..^~†^%@@@ ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~   ~  ~   ~   ~ @@@%^†~^..
.^~†^%@@@# ^    ^     ^     ^    ^     ^     ^    ^ #@@@%^†~^.
..^~†^%@@@ .       .       .       .      .       . @@@%^†~^..
...^~†^%@@ .                  .                   . @@%^†~^...
....^~†^%@                                          @%^†~^....
.....^~†^%                                          %^†~^.....
......^~†^                                          ^†~^......
.......^~†                                          †~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........