¨^^~==&&#@                                          @#&&==~^^¨
¨^~=†&##@#                                          #@##&†=~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~=&#                                          #&=~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~=†&##@#                                          #@##&†=~^¨
¨¨^~~===&#                                          #&===~~^¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^^=†# 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.              #@##&†=~^¨
¨^~=†&##@#                                          #@##&†=~^¨
¨¨^^^~=&##                     =                    ##&=~^^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~†#                   ~~~                    #†~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~=†&###@                   ^^^^^                  @###&†=~^¨
¨^~=†&##@#                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 #@##&†=~^¨
¨^~=†&##@#                   ^^^^^                  #@##&†=~^¨
¨¨¨~~~~†##                    ~~~                   ##†~~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^=&#@                    =                     @#&=^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~=†&##@#                                          #@##&†=~^¨
¨^~=†&#@##                                          ##@#&†=~^¨
¨^~=†&##@@                                          @@##&†=~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=†##                                          ##†=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~=†&####                                          ####&†=~^¨