...~^$*@@#                                          #@@*$^~...
....~^$*@@                                          @@*$^~....
.....~^$*@                                          @*$^~.....
......~^$*                                          *$^~......
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
........~^ ........@@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@@........ ^~........
.........~                                          ~.........
.......... when i  was  in eight grade  i decided i ..........
.......... was dead.  my spirit had  left my  body, ..........
..........             never to return.             ..........
..........                                          ..........
.......... i remember sitting in my parents car  on ..........
.......... a cloudy,  watery  day, getting  a  ride ..........
.......... somewhere.  it  felt  like i had  solved ..........
.........~ some  great   puzzle.  i've  solved   no ~.........
........~^            puzzles since then.           ^~........
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
......~^$*  instead, i've been mindlessly piloting  *$^~......
.....~^$*@ this body around.  i still give it life, @*$^~.....
....~^$*@@ somehow. like a  golem, and i try not to @@*$^~....
...~^$*@@# care  too  much,  but   i  do.  it's   a #@@*$^~...
..~^$*@@##   contaminated golem, this one. purity   ##@@*$^~..
...~^$*@@# clouded  by  my  echo. afterglow  of  my #@@*$^~...
....~^$*@@                 spirit.                  @@*$^~....
.....~^$*@                                          @*$^~.....
......~^$* ........@@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@@........ *$^~......
.......~^$                                          $^~.......
........~^                                          ^~........
.........~                                          ~.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........