.~«\§¤@### ###@¤§\«~.
..~«\§¤@## ##@¤§\«~..
...~«\§¤@# #@¤§\«~...
....~«\§¤@ @¤§\«~....
.....~«\§¤ ¤§\«~.....
......~«\§ . . . §\«~......
.....~«\§¤ . . . . . . ¤§\«~.....
....~«\§¤@ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ @¤§\«~....
...~«\§¤@# « « « « « « « « « « « #@¤§\«~...
..~«\§¤@## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##@¤§\«~..
.~«\§¤@### ###@¤§\«~.
..~«\§¤@## 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. ##@¤§\«~..
...~«\§¤@# #@¤§\«~...
....~«\§¤@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @¤§\«~....
.....~«\§¤ « « « « « « « « « « « ¤§\«~.....
......~«\§ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ §\«~......
.....~«\§¤ . . . . . . ¤§\«~.....
....~«\§¤@ . . . @¤§\«~....
...~«\§¤@# #@¤§\«~...
..~«\§¤@## ##@¤§\«~..
.~«\§¤@### ###@¤§\«~.
..~«\§¤@## ##@¤§\«~..
...~«\§¤@# #@¤§\«~...