,:«†%%&¶##                                          ##¶&%%†«:,
,,:««%%&¶¶                                          ¶¶&%%««:,,
,:«†%%&¶##                                          ##¶&%%†«:,
,:«†%%&¶@@                                          @@¶&%%†«:,
,:«†%%&¶@#                                          #@¶&%%†«:,
,:«†%%&&&& 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.               &%%«:,,,,,
,,,,,«%%%&                                          &%%%«,,,,,
,:«†%%&&&@                     †                    @&&&%%†«:,
,:«†%%&¶@#                    «««                   #@¶&%%†«:,
,,,,,::«%&                  :::::                   &%«::,,,,,
,::««†††%&                 ,,,,,,,,                 &%†††««::,
,:«†%%&@##                   :::::                  ##@&%%†«:,
,:«†%%&¶@#                   «««                    #@¶&%%†«:,
,:«†††%%&&                     †                    &&%%†††«:,
,:«†%%&@##                                          ##@&%%†«:,
,,,,,,:«%&                                          &%«:,,,,,,
,:«†%%&¶@#                                          #@¶&%%†«:,
,,,,«%%%%¶                                          ¶%%%%«,,,,
,,,::†%%&@                                          @&%%†::,,,