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.......~^% 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. ##%%^~....
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..~^%%#### 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.             ^~........
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......~^%% 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.               ^~........
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