,,,,,,,~§§                                          §§~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,\$§                                          §$\,,,,,,,
,,~\§§$$§¶                                          ¶§$$§§\~,,
,,,~\§§§§¶                                          ¶§§§§\~,,,
,,~\§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶## they  tell  me: "we are  going to shrink ##¶§$§\~,,
,,,,,,,~§§ 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   ¶§§§~,,,,,
,,~\§$§¶## windows into a smaller world,  close  to ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$$$§§ my  body  so  that  it  can  see clearly §§$$$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##             whats in store.              ##¶§$§\~,,
,,,~~~~§§§                                          §§§~~~~,,,
,,~\§$§¶¶¶ they give me food: prawn-like bugs  that ¶¶¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶## make my  tongue curl with  satisfaction. ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶## "out of this  world", i think, having no ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶## frame  of reference. i eat only two, but ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##      the bugs leave me suspiciously      ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\\§§§$§                satisfied.                §$§§§\\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§§§$¶¶ they measure my clothes. "you  are going ¶¶$§§§\~,,
,,,,~\§$§¶ to  become about half as big", they tell ¶§$§\~,,,,
,,~\§$§¶##  me, barely controlling themselves with  ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§§§§               anticipation.              §§§§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                     \                    ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                   ~~~                    ##¶§$§\~,,
,,,,,~§§$¶                   ,,,,,                  ¶$§§~,,,,,
,,,,,,\\$§                 ,,,,,,,,                 §$\\,,,,,,
,,~\§§$§¶¶                  ,,,,,                   ¶¶§$§§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                    ~~~                   ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                     \                    ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§§¶¶                                          ¶¶§§$§\~,,
,,,~\§$$$¶                                          ¶$$$§\~,,,
,,~\§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§\~,,
,,~\§$§¶##                                          ##¶§$§\~,,