###&%*†~..                                          ..~†*%&###
@&%%*~....                                          ....~*%%&@
#@#&%*†~..                                          ..~†*%&#@#
&%%†......                                          ......†%%&
###&%*†~..                                          ..~†*%&###
##@&%*†~.. 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.      ..~†*%#@##
#@#&%*†~..                                          ..~†*%&#@#
#@#&%*†~..                                          ..~†*%&#@#
@#&***†~..                                          ..~†***&#@
#@#&%*†~..                                          ..~†*%&#@#
@#%†~.....                                          .....~†%#@