§¨¨§§¨¨§§¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨§§§
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          §§¨¨¨§§§¨¨
¨§§§§§§§§§                                          ¨¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§§¨§§¨§§
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§§¨§§¨§§¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ ¨¨¨§§¨§§¨§
¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ ¨¨¨§¨§§¨§§
§§§§¨§¨¨¨¨ ~     ~    ~     ~    ~     ~     ~    ~ §¨¨§§§¨§§¨
§¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨ »   »   »   »   »   »   »   »   »  »   » §§¨§¨¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// §¨§§§¨§¨§§
§§§¨§§¨§§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§§§§¨
§¨¨§§¨§§¨§ 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.          §§§§¨¨§¨§§
¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§¨§§§¨
¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨ //////////////////////////////////////// ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨§
§¨§§§§¨¨¨¨ »  »   »   »   »   »   »   »   »   »   » §¨¨¨§¨¨§¨§
¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨ ~    ~     ~     ~     ~    ~     ~    ~ §§¨¨§§¨§§§
§§¨§¨¨§§¨¨ ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨ §¨§¨§¨§§¨¨
§¨§§§¨§¨§¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§§§§§§¨§¨
§§§¨¨§§§§§                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§§
¨¨¨§¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§§§§¨¨¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨                                          §§§§§¨¨§¨§
§¨¨§§¨¨§§¨                                          §¨¨¨¨§¨§§§