..,....,¨,                                          ,¨,....,..
^¨..,..¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨..,..¨^
~,,,¨,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,¨,,,~
^«..¨...,.                                          .,...¨..«^
=†~^¨...¨.                                          .¨...¨^~†=
§^†~,¨,.¨¨    ¨              .                    , ¨¨.,¨,~†^§
@£%†-:¨.¨.          .                               .¨.¨:-†%£@
#£¤^=~,,,. ,                                ,       .,,,~=^¤£#
#@¶£††~~.,                *     tiny blue purple    ,.~~††£¶@#
####&%^~,¨     ~  seal-like (selkie?) creature    . ¨,~^%&####
##¶$%\«...  hovering in orbit around~               ...«\%$¶##
#£§$/«-,,¨         the earth, spinning, chasing.    ¨,,-«/$§£#
#@%^»-,¨¨,  ,                .                      ,¨¨,-»^%@#
$$;«,¨,.,¨     looks at the sun with laser eyes,    ¨,.,¨,«;$$
^^«-¨,...¨    looks at the earth's power grid,,     ¨...,¨-«^^
/~,¨¨¨,.,¨     ,  ¨                    ,            ¨,.,¨¨¨,~/
~^¨¨¨.,¨.¨      says "hmm...."        »             ¨.¨,.¨¨¨^~
.¨¨¨..,¨¨¨   ¨                                      ¨¨¨,..¨¨¨.
¨,¨,¨¨..¨¨            $            ¨                ¨¨..¨¨,¨,¨
¨¨,...,,..     ¨                        :           ..,,...,¨¨
.,...,..¨¨  she swims toward the iss.               ¨¨..,...,.
¨,.¨.,,,¨¨  matches velocity, phases through the    ¨¨,,,.¨.,¨
,,¨.¨,,¨,,   wall to a pockocmoc scientist,  .      ,,¨,,¨.¨,,
-¨¨,¨¨¨¨.¨    . ¨                                   ¨.¨¨¨¨,¨¨-
--¨¨...¨¨.                  she says, "hello",      .¨¨...¨¨--
^=~.,¨.¨¨.      she says "are you aware that        .¨¨.¨,.~=^
*\»:¨,¨.¨.                 there's a burst          .¨.¨,¨:»\*
***-~.¨,,¨     ~            coming?"         $      ¨,,¨.~-***
#%=*~,.¨¨,             «                            ,¨¨.,~*=%#
#£§*^-~.¨. ~     and the station personnel          .¨.~-^*§£#
###@§^-,.¨    are like, no, what,  -                ¨.,-^§@###
###££%\~,,   who are you, etcetera, etcetera.       ,,~\%££###
###§%/~-.¨       *                         \        ¨.-~/%§###
#£$$=~~¨¨,    she says/"i can protect you           ,¨¨~~=$$£#
#%=^=~.¨¨, *   in your tin can,    †          ^     ,¨¨.~=^=%#
¤†*~,.,...      but your planetary friends,       & ...,.,~*†¤
§*»~¨.¨.,,       their grid will be burned."  *     ,,.¨.¨~»*§
^~:,.,¨,.¨   $         $          %       ^         ¨.,¨,.,:~^
».¨.¨.,¨,,    she says "you will be alone   #   &   ,,¨,.¨.¨.»
..,¨.,¨¨.¨          #   for a while". %    †        ¨.¨¨,.¨,..
..¨,¨¨.,.¨     §           @           #            ¨.,.¨¨,¨..
,,.,,..,,.  &      §    #    %   §  # §&  ^   *     .,,..,,.,,
¨¨.¨.¨,.,¨ --the selkie phases back out,--..@-&,:., ¨,.,¨.¨.¨¨
.,¨,¨,..,. #^¤:£*£:§/@spreads her membranes,\@^£\£/ .,..,¨,¨,.
,,¨¨,.,,¨, %@$$%$&**@@§like fluid insect wings,£%%£ ,¨,,.,¨¨,,
,,.,¨¨¨,,¨ #,¨# #,a dark glimmering laserdisc.#,# # ¨,,¨¨¨,.,,
-^,.,..,,¨  ¨.   ¨       ,  .    ,    ,¨       ¨    ¨,,..,.,^-
^-^,.,¨¨¨¨  ..  she feeds¨on.the particles when.  ~ ¨¨¨¨,.,^-^
**=^¨¨¨,,,  ,¨ they hit her stretched skin.    .  , ,,,¨¨¨^=**
$†:~:.,.,.  ., and behind,here is¨a shadow, and   . .,.,.:~:†$
@¤^^«.,,,¨   ¨in that shadow.is the space station.- ¨,,,.«^^¤@
#@§†;»,¨¨,   ¨   ¨       ,       .    .           , ,¨¨,»;†§@#
##@¤%/~~¨.   .           ,       .    ,     .       .¨~~/%¤@##
##@¶£*^«,. a month later,.the earth is still,dark.  .,«^*£¶@##
##@£%=~:¨.  there's no contact,  ¨          ^       .¨:~=%£@##
##%$\-.¨¨.    maybe some shortwave and shit,,       .¨¨.-\$%##
@**^-,,.,,  ~   confirming that some        .       ,,.,,-^**@
$$†«,,¨,.¨  :    society's still there.             ¨.,¨,,«†$$
$=~,.¨,,.¨  ,            ¨                          ¨.,,¨.,~=$
†«..¨.¨¨¨,  :     the astronauts are unwell -       ,¨¨¨.¨..«†
»,,.¨.,,.¨        they degenerate, in weird         ¨.,,.¨.,,»
,¨¨..¨.¨.¨        selkie-induced nursing sleep,     ¨.¨.¨..¨¨,
.¨,,..,,.,       to keep their heartbeats slow.     ,.,,..,,¨.
,,¨,,¨,.¨.                                          .¨.,¨,,¨,,
.¨,¨.¨¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨¨.¨,¨.
..¨,¨.,.¨.                                          .¨.,.¨,¨..
.,,,,.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.,,,,.
:,¨,,,..¨¨                                          ¨¨..,,,¨,:
»,¨¨.,,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,,.¨¨,»
;~,,..,,..                                          ..,,..,,~;
%†~^,,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,,^~†%
$†^~^..,..                                          ..,..^~^†$
@@^†»-,¨,,                                          ,,¨,-»†^@@