,&,,,,&,,, ,,,,,,&&&,
,,,&&,,,&, &&&&&,,&,,
&&,,,,&,,, &&&&,,,,,&
&,,&&,,,&& &&&,,&&&,,
,,,,,,&,,& &&,,,,&,,,
&&&&&,,,,, , , , &,,&&,,,&&
&&&&,,&&&, , , , , , , ,,,,,,&,,&
&&&,,,,&,, - - - - - - - - &&&&&,,,,,
,&,,&&,,,& ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ &&&&,,&&&,
,,,,,,,&,, **************************************** &&&,,,,&,,
&&&&&&,,,& &&,,&&,,,&
&&&&&,,&,, 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. ,,,,,,,&&,
&&,,,,,,&& &&&&&&,,,,
,,,&&&&,,& **************************************** &&&&&,,&&,
&&,,&&,,,, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ,&&&,,,,,,
,,,,,,,&&, - - - - - - - - ,,&,,&&&&,
&&&&&&,,,, , , , , , , &,,,,,&&,,
,&&&&,,&&& , , , ,,&&&,,,,,
,,&&,,,,&& ,,,&,,&&&&
,,,,,&&,,, &&,,,,,&&,
&&&&,,,,&& ,,,&&&,,,,
,&&,,&&,,& &&,,&,,&&,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,