¨^-†===%@# #@%===†-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^†==¤ ¤==†^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^^-†††%@@ @@%†††-^^¨
¨^^^†††%@# #@%†††^^^¨
¨¨¨¨-=%¤¤# #¤¤%=-¨¨¨¨
¨^-†=%¤@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@¤%=†-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^††=¤ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¤=††^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-†=%¤@## ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ##@¤%=†-^¨
¨^-†=%¤@## - - - - - - - - - - - ##@¤%=†-^¨
¨^-†====¤@ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† @¤====†-^¨
¨^-†=%¤@@# #@@¤%=†-^¨
¨^-†=%¤@## 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. ¤===-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^†=¤ ¤=†^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^-†=%@# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #@%=†-^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨-†=¤¤# - - - - - - - - - - - #¤¤=†-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^†=%@ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ @%=†^^¨¨¨¨
¨^-†=%¤@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@¤%=†-^¨
¨^-†=%¤@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@¤%=†-^¨
¨¨¨^-††==¤ ¤==††-^¨¨¨
¨^-†=%¤@## ##@¤%=†-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=¤ ¤=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-===%¤ ¤%===-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^†%¤ ¤%†^¨¨¨¨¨¨