.-~†$&§### ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§§## ##§§&$†~-.
.-~~~~~$§§ §§$~~~~~-.
.-~†$&§### ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$§#### ####§$†~-.
.-~†$&§### . . . ###§&$†~-.
....~~†&## . . . . . . ##&†~~....
.-~~††&&&# - - - - - - - - #&&&††~~-.
.-~†$$&&## ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ##&&$$†~-.
.-~†††$&§# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #§&$†††~-.
.....-††$§ §$††-.....
.-~†$&§### just off the coast to the baltic sea ###§&$†~-.
...--††&## 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 §$$~-.....
.-~†$&§### bushwork and into the cleft, they are ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### bleeding from a thousand wounds. as ###§&$†~-.
....-†††&§ they drink from the dark water, it is §&†††-....
.-~†$&§### in turn drinking the animals blood. ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### the circle is complete, the contract ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### carried out; the animal is abandoned to ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### find its own way back. the bushes roots ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### drink the nutrutious water. the fairies ###§&$†~-.
......-~$§ dance in the sunbeams. §$~-......
.--~~~$$§# #§$$~~~--.
.-†$&§#### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ####§&$†-.
.-~†$&§### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ###§&$†~-.
.---~†$$&§ - - - - - - - - §&$$†~---.
.-~†$&§### . . . . . . ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### . . . ###§&$†~-.
.....-†$§# #§$†-.....
.-~†$&§### ###§&$†~-.
.-~†$&§### ###§&$†~-.
......-†&§ §&†-......
...-~$$$§# #§$$$~-...