,,«\^$¶@##                                          ##@¶$^\«,,
,,,«\^$¶@#                                          #@¶$^\«,,,
,,,,«\^$¶@                                          @¶$^\«,,,,
,,,,,«\^$¶                                          ¶$^\«,,,,,
,,,,,,«\^$                                          $^\«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«\^ they  tell me:  "we are going to  shrink ^\«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«\ you."  i don't  quite  like the  tone in \«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«\^ their voices, like they  are restraining ^\«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«\^$ 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 $^\«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«\^  me, barely controlling themselves with  ^\«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«\              anticipation.               \«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«\^                                          ^\«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«\^$                    \                     $^\«,,,,,,
,,,,,«\^$¶                   «««                    ¶$^\«,,,,,
,,,,«\^$¶@                  ,,,,,                   @¶$^\«,,,,
,,,«\^$¶@#                 ,,,,,,,,                 #@¶$^\«,,,
,,«\^$¶@##                  ,,,,,                   ##@¶$^\«,,
,,,«\^$¶@#                   «««                    #@¶$^\«,,,
,,,,«\^$¶@                    \                     @¶$^\«,,,,
,,,,,«\^$¶                                          ¶$^\«,,,,,
,,,,,,«\^$                                          $^\«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«\^                                          ^\«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«\                                          \«,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«\^                                          ^\«,,,,,,,