...,-=¤¤##                                          ##¤¤=-,...
..,-=¤¤###                                          ###¤¤=-,..
.,-=¤¤####                                          ####¤¤=-,.
..,-=¤¤###                                          ###¤¤=-,..
...,-=¤¤##                                          ##¤¤=-,...
....,-=¤¤# 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.              ##¤¤=-,...
..,-=¤¤###                                          ###¤¤=-,..
.,-=¤¤####                     =                    ####¤¤=-,.
..,-=¤¤###                   ---                    ###¤¤=-,..
...,-=¤¤##                   ,,,,,                  ##¤¤=-,...
....,-=¤¤#                 ........                 #¤¤=-,....
.....,-=¤¤                  ,,,,,                   ¤¤=-,.....
......,-=¤                   ---                    ¤=-,......
.....,-=¤¤                     =                    ¤¤=-,.....
....,-=¤¤#                                          #¤¤=-,....
...,-=¤¤##                                          ##¤¤=-,...
..,-=¤¤###                                          ###¤¤=-,..
.,-=¤¤####                                          ####¤¤=-,.
..,-=¤¤###                                          ###¤¤=-,..