......~†§& &§†~......
....^†§*&# #&*§†^....
...^~††§§& &§§††~^...
.^~†§§§&&# #&&§§§†~^.
.^~†§*&### ###&*§†~^.
..^^~††§&# . . . #&§††~^^..
.^~†§*&### . . . . . . ###&*§†~^.
.......~§& ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ &§~.......
.....^††§& ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ &§††^.....
....^†§**& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &**§†^....
.....~~†*# #*†~~.....
.^~†§*&### 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. &&&*†~~...
......^~§& &§~^......
.....^~§*& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &*§~^.....
.^^^~†§§&# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #&§§†~^^^.
....^†***& ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ &***†^....
.^~†§*&### . . . . . . ###&*§†~^.
.^~†§*&### . . . ###&*§†~^.
.^~†§*&### ###&*§†~^.
.^~†§*&### ###&*§†~^.
.^~†§*&### ###&*§†~^.
...^^~†§*& &*§†~^^...
.^~†§*&### ###&*§†~^.