&&&.&&.&&. &..&&&..&.
&..&&.&&.& &&.&..&.&&
.&.&.&&.&& &.&&&.&&&.
.&&&&&.&&. &&&..&&..&
&&....&&.& ...&.&.&.&
..&...&.&& . . . ...&&&&&&&
&.&&..&&&. . . . . . . ...&......
&&&.&.&..& , , , , , , , , ...&&.....
&..&&&&&.& ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ...&.&....
&&.&....&& \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ...&&&&...
&.&&&...&. &..&...&..
&&&..&..&& 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. &.&..&..&.
.........& &&&&.&&.&&
&........& \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ &...&&.&&.
&&.......& ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ &&..&.&&.&
..&......& , , , , , , , , ..&.&&&.&&
&.&&.....& . . . . . . ..&&&..&&.
&&&.&....& . . . ..&..&.&.&
...&&&...& &.&&.&&&&&
&..&..&..& &&&.&&....
&&.&&.&&.& ...&&.&...
&.&&.&&.&& ...&.&&&..
&&&.&&.&&. &..&&&..&.