¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~= =~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=† †=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†* *†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=†*% %*†=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=†*%¤ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¤%*†=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~=†*%¤# ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ #¤%*†=~¨¨¨
¨¨~=†*%¤## ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ##¤%*†=~¨¨
¨~=†*%¤### = = = = = = = = = = = ###¤%*†=~¨
¨¨~=†*%¤## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##¤%*†=~¨¨
¨¨¨~=†*%¤# #¤%*†=~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=†*%¤ 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. *†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=†*% %*†=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=†*%¤ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¤%*†=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~=†*%¤# = = = = = = = = = = = #¤%*†=~¨¨¨
¨¨~=†*%¤## ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ##¤%*†=~¨¨
¨~=†*%¤### ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ###¤%*†=~¨
¨¨~=†*%¤## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##¤%*†=~¨¨
¨¨¨~=†*%¤# #¤%*†=~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~=†*%¤ ¤%*†=~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~=†*% %*†=~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=†* *†=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=† †=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨