@@%/~..... .....~/%@@
@%/~...... ......~/%@
%/~....... .......~/%
/~........ ........~/
~......... .........~
.......... 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. ......~/%@
@@%/~..... .....~/%@@
@@@%/~.... ....~/%@@@
@@@@%/~... ...~/%@@@@
#@@@@%/~.. ..~/%@@@@#
##@@@@%/~. .~/%@@@@##