¨,~^%@§@@# #@@§@%^~,¨
¨,~^%@§§§# #§§§@%^~,¨
¨,~^%@§@## ##@§@%^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~%%§ §%%~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^%@§@## ##@§@%^~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,,^@§ ¨ ¨ ¨ §@^,,,¨¨¨¨
¨,~^%@§@@@ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ @@@§@%^~,¨
¨,~^%@§@## , , , , , , , , ##@§@%^~,¨
¨¨¨¨~^%%§# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #§%%^~¨¨¨¨
¨,~^%@§@## ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##@§@%^~,¨
¨¨¨¨,^%§§# #§§%^,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~~%§ 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. #§§%~,,,,¨
¨¨¨¨~~%@§§ §§@%~~¨¨¨¨
¨,~^%@@§§# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #§§@@%^~,¨
¨¨¨,^%%@@# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #@@%%^,¨¨¨
¨,~^%@§@## , , , , , , , , ##@§@%^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~%§ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ §%~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^%@§@## ¨ ¨ ¨ ##@§@%^~,¨
¨,~^%@§@## ##@§@%^~,¨
¨¨¨¨~~^@@§ §@@^~~¨¨¨¨
¨,~^%@§@## ##@§@%^~,¨
¨,~^%@§@## ##@§@%^~,¨
¨,~^%@§@## ##@§@%^~,¨