¨¨¨=^^**@@ @@**^^=¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,,^*@@ @@*^,,¨¨¨¨
¨,=^**@@## ##@@**^=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨=^*@# #@*^=¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=^**@### ###@**^=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨==**@ ¨ ¨ ¨ @**==¨¨¨¨¨
¨,^**@@### ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ###@@**^,¨
¨,=^**@@## , , , , , , , , ##@@**^=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=*@ = = = = = = = = = = = @*=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨=*@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @*=¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,===^*@@@ @@@*^===,¨
¨,=^**@@## 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. #@*^^^,,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨=^*@@ @@*^=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=**@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @**=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,^^**@ = = = = = = = = = = = @**^^,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨==**@@ , , , , , , , , @@**==¨¨¨¨
¨,,===^**@ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ @**^===,,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,^*@ ¨ ¨ ¨ @*^,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=^**@@## ##@@**^=,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^*@@ @@*^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,=^**@@## ##@@**^=,¨
¨,=^**@@## ##@@**^=,¨
¨,=^**@@## ##@@**^=,¨