^~........                                          ........~^
~.........                                          .........~
..........                                          ..........
~.........                                          .........~
^~........                                          ........~^
%^~....... 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.      ...~^%££##
#££%^~....                                          ....~^%££#
££%^~.....                                          .....~^%££
£%^~......                                          ......~^%£
%^~.......                                          .......~^%
^~........                                          ........~^