£#&@,.¨,£¨ ¤¨&¨.@,¨¨¨
&¨¨¨£¨..@@ ##¤&¨§#..¨
@@¨,&@¨.£¨ ¨¨,¨£&.@¨.
£.¤.&,¤,&& .,.¨£,§#&¨
&¤£&&§£#&¨ ¨¨¨,#@&,.&
.,.¨...,.# , . . ..,,£.,@,#
£.¨¨¨....£ ¨ ¤¨¨.¤@,¤
.#¨,¨,¨,¨¤ . . .§.¨#.&&,.
¨§#,..¨¨¨¤ % 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. §¨§¨¨&¨.,.
@..,£¨¨¨#§ &¤§§,§#¨..
¤£..##¨¨&, .,,¨¤¤.§,.
£.&.@,£,§¤ ,.¨¨&,§&&¨
§@§§@¤@, ¨¨¨,#¤#¨.£
,,,,¨,.,¨§ ,,,,&.,@,¤
§.,,¨,,,¨@ #¨¨,£#¨&@¤
,@,.¨,,¨,£ ,&.¨&,@¤..
,@¤,¨¨¨..& ¨#@,@.¤.
¨@,#¨.,.¨£ ¨£¨£¤¨.@§§
§§¤&§..,,¤ §##&¨&.@¨.