.....,-:†$                                          $†:-,.....
......,-:†                                          †:-,......
.......,-:                                          :-,.......
......,-:†                                          †:-,......
.....,-:†$                                          $†:-,.....
....,-:†$# --#                                  #-- #$†:-,....
...,-:†$#@                                          @#$†:-,...
..,-:†$#@#           the road is blocked.           #@#$†:-,..
.,-:†$#@## two  creatures,  alive,  and  a  burning ##@#$†:-,.
..,-:†$#@#     car. the windshield is shattered,    #@#$†:-,..
...,-:†$#@               from outside.              @#$†:-,...
....,-:†$#                                          #$†:-,....
.....,-:†$ --#                                  #-- $†:-,.....
......,-:†      #---------------------------#       †:-,......
.......,-: --#                                  #-- :-,.......
......,-:†                                          †:-,......
.....,-:†$   the womans name is -lynne-, she heads  $†:-,.....
....,-:†$#   from the peninsula of kola - called    #$†:-,....
...,-:†$#@    there long ago by the depth of the    @#$†:-,...
..,-:†$#@#   boring hole, now again returning to    #@#$†:-,..
.,-:†$#@##   denser civilization. but she is not    ##@#$†:-,.
..,-:†$#@#   human. she has long claws with which   #@#$†:-,..
...,-:†$#@  she picks out the flesh of her prey and @#$†:-,...
....,-:†$#    tears at it with her teeth, blood     #$†:-,....
.....,-:†$  dripping onto the dirt road. she does   $†:-,.....
......,-:†       not look up from her killing.      †:-,......
.......,-:                                          :-,.......
......,-:†     her steed is -hornblende-, a dark    †:-,......
.....,-:†$    horse, a glowing panther. she's an    $†:-,.....
....,-:†$#    extremely digitgrade thing, with a    #$†:-,....
...,-:†$#@  polite face. while her regular (and now @#$†:-,...
..,-:†$#@# disinterested) mouth is responsible for  #@#$†:-,..
.,-:†$#@##     eating plant matter (mostly fatty    ##@#$†:-,.
..,-:†$#@#     fruits like avocado) her tail is     #@#$†:-,..
...,-:†$#@  carnivorous and has a mouth (and will?) @#$†:-,...
....,-:†$#   of its own. the entire tail is hollow  #$†:-,....
.....,-:†$  and juicy, and feels wonderful inside.  $†:-,.....
......,-:†                                          †:-,......
.......,-: --#                                  #-- :-,.......
......,-:†                                          †:-,......
.....,-:†$                                          $†:-,.....
....,-:†$#                                          #$†:-,....
...,-:†$#@                                          @#$†:-,...
..,-:†$#@#                                          #@#$†:-,..