#£§%†/~^..                                          ..^~/†%§£#
##£§%†/~^.                                          .^~/†%§£##
#£§%†/~^..                                          ..^~/†%§£#
£§%†/~^...                                          ...^~/†%§£
§%†/~^....                                          ....^~/†%§
%†/~^..... 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.      .^~/†%§£##
#£§%†/~^..                                          ..^~/†%§£#
£§%†/~^...                                          ...^~/†%§£
§%†/~^....                                          ....^~/†%§
%†/~^.....                                          .....^~/†%
†/~^......                                          ......^~/†