,,,,~==%&& &&%==~,,,,
,,,,,~†==& &==†~,,,,,
,,,-~††=%& &%=††~-,,,
,,-~~~††=& &=††~~~-,,
,,,,---~=& &=~---,,,,
,,,,~=%&## , , , ##&%=~,,,,
,---~†%&&# , , , , , , #&&%†~---,
,-~=%&#### - - - - - - - - ####&%=~-,
,-~†=%&### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ###&%=†~-,
,-~†=%&&&# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #&&&%=†~-,
,-~†††=%&# #&%=†††~-,
,,---††=%& 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. &%=~-,,,,,
,,---~=&## ##&=~---,,
,-~†=%&### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ###&%=†~-,
,,,,,,~†%& ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ &%†~,,,,,,
,-~†=%&### - - - - - - - - ###&%=†~-,
,,,,-†=%&# , , , , , , #&%=†-,,,,
,,,,,-~=%& , , , &%=~-,,,,,
,-~†=%&### ###&%=†~-,
,-~†=%&### ###&%=†~-,
,-~†=%&### ###&%=†~-,
,-~†=%&### ###&%=†~-,
,,,-~††%## ##%††~-,,,