.....^~^=%                                          %=^~^.....
......^~^=                                          =^~^......
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.......^~^                                          ^~^.......
......^~^= 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.      =^~^......
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.....^~^=%                                          %=^~^.....