§¨¨§§§¨¨§¨                                          §§¨¨§§§§§§
§¨§¨¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§¨§§§¨§§                                          §§§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨¨§§¨¨§§¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨§§¨
§§§§§§§¨§¨ ¨                   ¨                  ¨ ¨§¨§¨¨§¨§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§¨ ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨      ¨ §§§§¨§§§§§
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§§ ,     ,    ,     ,     ,    ,     ,    , ¨¨¨§§¨¨¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§§¨§¨§ «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «   «  «   « ¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§§
¨¨¨§¨§§§§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨§§§§¨¨§¨§
¨¨§§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§§§
¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ 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.          §¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨§                                          §§§¨¨§¨§¨¨
§§§§§§¨¨§§ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨§¨§§§§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨§ «   «   «  «   «   «   «   «   «   «   « ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨¨¨§§§§§¨ ,    ,     ,    ,    ,     ,     ,     , §¨¨§¨¨§§§§
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§§ ¨       ¨      ¨       ¨       ¨       ¨ §¨§§¨§¨¨¨§
¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨ ¨                  ¨                   ¨ §§¨§§§¨¨§§
¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨§¨§
§§§§¨§¨§¨¨                                          §¨§¨§§§§§§
¨¨¨§§§§§¨¨                                          §§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨§§¨¨¨§§¨§                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨¨¨¨