¶&^^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^^&¶
¶&&&%~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~%&&&¶
#§&%%~~~¨¨ ¨¨~~~%%&§#
#§%%%~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~%%%§#
¶§&%%%^~~¨ ¨~~^%%%&§¶
##¶§&%^~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~^%&§¶##
¶§§&%%^~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~^%%&§§¶
¶¶&%^~~~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~~~^%&¶¶
##¶§&%^~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~^%&§¶##
###§&%^~~¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨~~^%&§###
§§%^~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~^%§§
###¶&%^~~¨ 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. ¨~~^%&§¶##
§%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%§
§&^~~~¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨~~~^&§
#¶¶§&%^~~¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨~~^%&§¶¶#
¶&&^~¨¨¨¨¨ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ¨¨¨¨¨~^&&¶
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§§%%^^^~~¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨~~^^^%%§§
##¶§&%^~~¨ ¨~~^%&§¶##
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¶§%%^~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~^%%§¶
¶§§&&%^~~¨ ¨~~^%&&§§¶
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