....-~†$$# #$$†~-....
.....-~†$$ $$†~-.....
......-~†$ $†~-......
.......-~† †~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.......-~† . . . †~-.......
......-~†$ . . . . . . $†~-......
.....-~†$$ - - - - - - - - $$†~-.....
....-~†$$# ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ #$$†~-....
...-~†$$## †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ##$$†~-...
..-~†$$### ###$$†~-..
.-~†$$#### JUST OFF THE COAST TO THE BALTIC SEA ####$$†~-.
..-~†$$### THERE'S A FRESHWATER POND, SECLUDED ###$$†~-..
...-~†$$## AMONG ASHEN AND JUNIPER. A CLEFT IN THE ##$$†~-...
....-~†$$# LIMESTONE BEDROCK, SHARP-CUT FROM THE #$$†~-....
.....-~†$$ SURROUNDING PLAINS, A NINETY DEGREE $$†~-.....
......-~†$ 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 $†~-......
.....-~†$$ FIND ITS OWN WAY BACK. THE BUSHES ROOTS $$†~-.....
....-~†$$# DRINK THE NUTRUTIOUS WATER. THE FAIRIES #$$†~-....
...-~†$$## DANCE IN THE SUNBEAMS. ##$$†~-...
..-~†$$### ###$$†~-..
.-~†$$#### †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ####$$†~-.
..-~†$$### ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ###$$†~-..
...-~†$$## - - - - - - - - ##$$†~-...
....-~†$$# . . . . . . #$$†~-....
.....-~†$$ . . . $$†~-.....
......-~†$ $†~-......
.......-~† †~-.......
........-~ ~-........
.......-~† †~-.......
......-~†$ $†~-......