$**~-..... .....-~**$
@$**~-.... ....-~**$@
@@$**~-... ...-~**$@@
#@@$**~-.. ..-~**$@@#
##@@$**~-. .-~**$@@##
#@@$**~-.. THE FERAL DREAM ~~~~@ ~~~~@ ~~@ ..-~**$@@#
@@$**~-... ...-~**$@@
@$**~-.... **************************************** ....-~**$@
$**~-..... * EVENT: INGESTION OF THREE HUNDRED * .....-~**$
**~-...... * 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. .......-~*
**~-...... ......-~**
$**~-..... ESCAPING THROUGH THE GLASSLESS WINDOW. .....-~**$
@$**~-.... OUTSIDE, THE WORLD IS WAITING. ....-~**$@
@@$**~-... ...-~**$@@
#@@$**~-.. ..-~**$@@#
##@@$**~-. .-~**$@@##
#@@$**~-.. ..-~**$@@#
@@$**~-... ...-~**$@@