..-~:†%&## ##&%†:~-..
.-~:†%&### ###&%†:~-.
..-~:†%&## ##&%†:~-..
...-~:†%&# #&%†:~-...
....-~:†%& &%†:~-....
.....-~:†% . . . %†:~-.....
......-~:† . . . . . . †:~-......
.......-~: - - - - - - - - :~-.......
........-~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~-........
.........- :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: -.........
.......... ..........
.........- 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. %†:~-.....
....-~:†%& &%†:~-....
...-~:†%&# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #&%†:~-...
..-~:†%&## ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ##&%†:~-..
.-~:†%&### - - - - - - - - ###&%†:~-.
..-~:†%&## . . . . . . ##&%†:~-..
...-~:†%&# . . . #&%†:~-...
....-~:†%& &%†:~-....
.....-~:†% %†:~-.....
......-~:† †:~-......
.......-~: :~-.......
........-~ ~-........