.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
.^~~^^††£#                                          #£††^^~~^.
...^^^^@£#                                          #£@^^^^...
.....~^@@£                                          £@@^~.....
.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£### the feral dream          ~~~~# ~~~~# ~~# ###£@†^~^.
......^^†£                                          £†^^......
.^~^†@£### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###£@†^~^.
......^^†£ ^ event: ingestion of three hundred    ^ £†^^......
.^~†@£#### ^ and sixty micrograms of selatenine   ^ ####£@†~^.
.....~~†@£ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ £@†~~.....
.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£###      a gentle transformation occurs.     ###£@†^~^.
....^^†££#                                          #££†^^....
^~^†@£####   first, just an isolated prick in the   ####£@†^~^
.^~^†††££# fingers, which could be nothing. except  #££†††^~^.
...~~^@@@£   there is a tension that wasn't there   £@@@^~~...
.....^^†@#                 before.                  #@†^^.....
.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
.^~^^^†@£#    joy as a television static spreads    #£@†^^^~^.
...~^†††@#  slowly up the arms. (old limbs falling  #@†††^~...
.^~^†@£###        asleep for the last time.)        ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
..^~~~~†££   next is a private moment, and we must  ££†~~~~^..
.^~^†@£###    look away for a bit. but whatever's   ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£###    happening doesn't sound unpleasant.   ###£@†^~^.
.....^^†££   short breath, moans, bones breaking,   ££†^^.....
.^~^†@£###  maybe; but these are raptorous things,  ###£@†^~^.
.....^~†££           they are exultations.          ££†~^.....
...^^†@£££                                          £££@†^^...
.....^~~†£  for a split second, the room is devoid  £†~~^.....
.^~^†@£###    of life. but then, the evening sun    ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£###  finds something new on the floor. in a  ###£@†^~^.
....~††@££   pool of primordial water, a shivering  ££@††~....
.....^~††£       fourlegger opens their eyes.       £††~^.....
.^~^^^^††£                                          £††^^^^~^.
...^^~^†£#    there is a second blooming, and a     #£†^~^^...
.^~^†@£###    third, and a fourth. struggling to    ###£@†^~^.
.^~^††@@££  rise, finding the unexpected strength   ££@@††^~^.
.^~^†@£### of the new body, falling headfirst into  ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£###                new urges.                ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
....^~~^†£  escaping through the glassless window.  £†^~~^....
.^~^†@£###      outside, the world is waiting.      ###£@†^~^.
.^~^†@£££#                                          #£££@†^~^.
....~^@£##                                          ##£@^~....
.....^^@££                                          ££@^^.....
.^~^†@£###                                          ###£@†^~^.
....^^^^@£                                          £@^^^^....