-~†$£¤#@## ##@#¤£$†~-
¨:~**@&@## ##@&@**~:¨
¨,~\$@@@## ##@@@$\~,¨
¨,~/%$#@ @#$%/~,¨
.-=*%%@### ###@%%*=-.
....»~*£@@ ¨ ¨ . @@£*~»....
¨,-/^§£### , ###£§^/-,¨
..-,=«†@@# , ¨ #@@†«=,-..
,,~=**&@## * tiny blue purple ##@&**=~,,
.,~«~=$¤@# - 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. @@@@&§\»:¨
.,=:^$£### ###£$^:=,.
.,¨.~;*$*§ §*$*;~.¨,.
,¨.,.«*@£¶ ¶£@*«.,.¨,
.,,¨.,~*&@ @&*~,.¨,,.
.¨,.,.=†#& †=.,.,¨.
,,«:$££@## ##@££$:«,,
..,,«;==%& &%==;«,,..
,~~;†**¤§§ §§¤**†;~~,
¨.~^†££@## ##@££†^~.¨
¨^«/§%§### ###§%§/«^¨