.,¨.¨.¨¨~»                                          »~¨¨.¨.¨,.
.,..¨,.,~/                                          /~,.,¨..,.
¨,..¨¨^«\§                                          §\«^¨¨..,¨
..,,,~~:=¤                                          ¤=:~~,,,..
¨.¨..~:*$£                                          £$*:~..¨.¨
.¨,,~;*&£@    ,              ¨                    . @£&*;~,,¨.
.¨-~\%$###          .                               ###$%\~-¨.
¨^»\§&¤¶## ¨                                .       ##¶¤&§\»^¨
¨,-=/%%£##                =     tiny blue purple    ##£%%/=-,¨
¨¨¨,«;=$§#     ,  seal-like (selkie?) creature    . #§$=;«,¨¨¨
..,¨.~;%$#  hovering in orbit around=               #$%;~.¨,..
¨..,.,~;%§         the earth, spinning, chasing.    §%;~,.,..¨
.¨.,¨,,~\*  ^                .                      *\~,,¨,.¨.
,¨,...¨-~†     looks at the sun with laser eyes,    †~-¨...,¨,
¨,..¨¨..:-    looks at the earth's power grid,¨     -:..¨¨..,¨
,¨,...,,¨^     ¨  .                    ,            ^¨,,...,¨,
.,¨,.¨,.¨,      says "hmm...."        =             ,¨.,¨.,¨,.
¨¨¨¨.¨,,..   .                                      ..,,¨.¨¨¨¨
,,¨.¨,,..,            *            .                ,..,,¨.¨,,
,¨¨,...,¨.     ,                        ~           .¨,...,¨¨,
,..,¨,¨.,¨  she swims toward the iss.               ¨,.¨,¨,..,
..¨¨,¨,.,,  matches velocity, phases through the    ,,.,¨,¨¨..
¨¨,,,.,¨¨,   wall to a pockocmoc scientist,  ,      ,¨¨,.,,,¨¨
,¨,,¨¨¨,,~    . ,                                   ~,,¨¨¨,,¨,
,¨...,,¨,«                  she says, "hello",      «,¨,,...¨,
.¨,,.,.~«:      she says "are you aware that        :«~.,.,,¨.
¨,,,,.:«:§                 there's a burst          §:«:.,,,,¨
,¨,,¨.«†^%     «            coming?"         §      %^†«.¨,,¨,
¨.,,.-††$£             ~                            £$††-.,,.¨
¨.,.~\*%£@ =     and the station personnel          @£%*\~.,.¨
,..»:†$#@#    are like, no, what,  »                #@#$†:»..,
¨.==%§¤###   who are you, etcetera, etcetera.       ###¤§%==.¨
...=^§*¤@#       :                         :        #@¤*§^=...
¨¨,,-^=£§@    she says\"i can protect you           @§£=^-,,¨¨
.¨¨,,~;§$¤ /   in your tin can,    \          ;     ¤$§;~,,¨¨.
,¨,,,,»:*@      but your planetary friends,       & @*:»,,,,¨,
.,¨...~«/$       their grid will be burned."  †     $/«~...¨,.
¨,¨¨,¨¨:-;   ^         *          %       %         ;-:¨¨,¨¨,¨
,.,.¨,,,,~    she says "you will be alone   §   @   ~,,,,¨.,.,
,,,.¨.¨..^          @   for a while". §    *        ^..¨.¨.,,,
¨.,,.¨¨,,¨     ¤           @           &            ¨,,¨¨.,,.¨
¨.....,¨,,  ¤      #    ¤    *   £  ¤ ^¤  =   %     ,,¨,.....¨
¨,,,.,¨,¨, .,the selkie phases back out,,--.¤^£~,^: ,¨,¨,.,,,¨
¨,,.,,,... §^£=§^£:£;§spreads her membranes,/&;§^¤; ...,,,.,,¨
,¨¨,...¨¨¨ &£¤&$*$£$$@*like fluid insect wings,&%*@ ¨¨¨...,¨¨,
.¨,,.....¨ #..# #¨a dark glimmering laserdisc.#.# # ¨.....,,¨.
¨,¨¨.....,  ,¨   ,       ,  .    ,    ,.       .    ,.....¨¨,¨
,,..,.¨,¨:  ,,  she feeds,on.the particles when.  ^ :¨,¨.,..,,
.,¨,..,¨.=  .¨ they hit her stretched skin.    ¨  , =.¨,..,¨,.
..,¨¨¨¨~»^  ., and behind,here is.a shadow, and   , ^»~¨¨¨¨,..
,,..¨¨^-†*   ¨in that shadow¨is the space station.. *†-^¨¨..,,
..,,.~-:%%   ,   .       .       ,    ¨           . %%:-~.,,..
.¨,.^«:$&#   ,           ¨       ¨    ¨     ^       #&$:«^.,¨.
,¨¨,~^=££@ a month later,¨the earth is still,dark.  @££=^~,¨¨,
..~=:=&§##  there's no contact,  .          ^       ##§&=:=~..
¨:~=%%§£##    maybe some shortwave and shit,:       ##£§%%=~:¨
¨¨.~†%$£##  ^   confirming that some        ,       ##£$%†~.¨¨
,¨.^«*%*¤¶  .    society's still there.             ¶¤*%*«^.¨,
¨,,.^~^§&£  ,            .                          £&§^~^.,,¨
,,¨.,.»/*£  ~     the astronauts are unwell -       £*/».,.¨,,
,¨,,,,,~*†        they degenerate, in weird         †*~,,,,,¨,
..¨,¨,.^=:        selkie-induced nursing sleep,     :=^.,¨,¨..
,.,,,¨,,,«       to keep their heartbeats slow.     «,,,¨,,,.,
.,¨..,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,..¨,.
,¨,..,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,..,¨,
,¨¨,.,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,.,¨¨,
.,,¨,.¨..¨                                          ¨..¨.,¨,,.
..,¨.¨¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨¨.¨,..
¨,¨.,...¨¨                                          ¨¨...,.¨,¨
¨¨.,..¨,,,                                          ,,,¨..,.¨¨
,,,¨.,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,.¨,,,
.,¨,..,.¨:                                          :¨.,..,¨,.
,...,..,^=                                          =^,..,...,