§§§§¨§§¨§§                                          §¨¨¨¨¨§¨§¨
§¨¨¨§§¨§§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§§
¨§¨¨§¨§§¨§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§§¨§§§¨§§                                          ¨§¨§¨¨§§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§§§§¨§¨§¨
¨§§§¨§¨§¨§ they tell me:  "we  are  going to shrink ¨§¨¨¨§§§§§
§§¨¨§§§§§§ you."  i  don't  quite like the tone  in §§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§¨§¨¨¨¨¨ their voices, like they are  restraining ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨
§§§§§§¨¨¨¨ themselves. there  is a hunger  in  them §¨¨§§§¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨ and it  wants  me  to  shrink. and  what §§¨§¨¨§§§¨
§§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨ really  irks  me  is  that  so   do   i. §¨§§§¨§¨¨§
¨¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§§¨¨§§§¨§
§¨§§¨¨§§§§ they  give  me  wristbands and  anklets, §§¨§¨§¨¨§§
¨§§¨§¨§¨¨¨ made  of  some   strange   stone.  their §¨§§§§§¨§¨
¨§¨§§§§§¨¨      surface is swirling, like dark      §§§¨¨¨¨§§§
§§§§¨¨¨¨§¨   thunderstorms trapped in glass, like   §¨¨§¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§ windows into  a smaller world,  close to ¨§¨§§¨¨§§¨
§§¨¨§§¨¨§¨ my body  so  that  it  can  see  clearly §§§§¨§¨§¨§
¨¨§¨§¨§¨§§              whats in store.             §¨¨¨§§§§§§
§¨§§§§§§§¨                                          ¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ they give  me food: prawn-like bugs that ¨§§¨§§¨¨¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ make my tongue  curl with  satisfaction. §§¨§§¨§¨¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨¨¨§ "out of this world", i  think, having no ¨¨§§¨§§§¨¨
§¨§§¨§¨¨¨§ frame of reference. i eat only  two, but ¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨
§§§¨§§§¨¨§      the bugs leave me suspiciously      §¨§§§¨§¨§§
¨¨¨§§¨¨§¨§                satisfied.                §§§¨¨§§§§¨
¨¨¨§¨§¨§§§                                          §¨¨§¨§¨¨¨§
§¨¨§§§§§¨¨ they measure my  clothes. "you are going §§¨§§§§¨¨§
¨§¨§¨¨¨¨§¨ to become about half as  big", they tell ¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨§
§§§§§¨¨¨§§  me, barely controlling themselves with  ¨¨§¨§¨¨§§§
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨§¨              anticipation.               ¨¨§§§§¨§¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨§§¨§§                                          §¨§¨¨¨§§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨§¨§§¨                    \                     ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨§
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨§                   «««                    §§¨¨§¨§§¨§
¨§¨¨¨§¨¨§§                  ^^^^^                   §¨§¨§§§¨§§
§§§¨¨§§¨§¨                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 ¨§§§§¨¨§§¨
§¨¨§¨§¨§§§                  ^^^^^                   ¨§¨¨¨§¨§¨§
¨§¨§§§§§¨¨                    «««                   ¨§§¨¨§§§§§
§§§§¨¨¨¨§¨                     \                    ¨§¨§¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§§§§§§¨¨¨
§§¨¨§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨¨¨¨§§¨
§§§§§§§§§¨                                          §§¨§¨¨¨§¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨§§§