......^«\% %\«^......
.......^«\ \«^.......
......^«\% %\«^......
.....^«\%§ §%\«^.....
....^«\%§@ @§%\«^....
...^«\%§@# . . . #@§%\«^...
..^«\%§@## . . . . . . ##@§%\«^..
.^«\%§@### ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ###@§%\«^.
..^«\%§@## « « « « « « « « « « « ##@§%\«^..
...^«\%§@# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #@§%\«^...
....^«\%§@ @§%\«^....
.....^«\%§ 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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