@%//==.... ....==//%@
###@%†/=^. .^=/†%@###
##@@%†/=^. .^=/†%@@##
#@@@%†/=^. .^=/†%@@@#
#@@%%†/=^. .^=/†%%@@#
#@@@%†/=^. . . . .^=/†%@@@#
@@%%/^.... . . . . . . ....^/%%@@
@††//===^. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ .^===//††@
@@%%%†/=^. = = = = = = = = = = = .^=/†%%%@@
##@@%†/=^. //////////////////////////////////////// .^=/†%@@##
##@@%†/=^. .^=/†%@@##
##@@%†/=^. 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. .^^^^^^/%@
@@%††==... ...==††%@@
##@@%†/=^. //////////////////////////////////////// .^=/†%@@##
##@@%†/=^. = = = = = = = = = = = .^=/†%@@##
@†/^^^.... ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ....^^^/†@
##@@%†/=^. . . . . . . .^=/†%@@##
#@@@%†/=^. . . . .^=/†%@@@#
@@@%†/=^.. ..^=/†%@@@
@%†/==.... ....==/†%@
#@%/===^.. ..^===/%@#
##@@%†/=^. .^=/†%@@##
##@@%†/=^. .^=/†%@@##