.....#.#.. ##......#.
........#. .##......#
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....#..... . . . . . . .....###..
.....#.... ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ .....#.##.
......#... - - - - - - - - - - - .......###
#......#.. †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #......#.#
##......#. .#.......#
.##......# 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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