¨~-/$@#¶## ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~--///$@# #@$///--~¨
¨¨~~~--$## ##$--~~~¨¨
¨¨¨~///$## ##$///~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~--$# #$--~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~--//$$@# they tell me: "we are going to shrink #@$$//--~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## you." i don't quite like the tone in ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@@@@¶ their voices, like they are restraining ¶@@@@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## themselves. there is a hunger in them ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## and it wants me to shrink. and what ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## really irks me is that so do i. ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## they give me wristbands and anklets, ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## made of some strange stone. their ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$$$@@# surface is swirling, like dark #@@$$$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## thunderstorms trapped in glass, like ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨¨~----$#¶ windows into a smaller world, close to ¶#$----~¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~/@@¶ 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 ##@/-~¨¨¨¨
¨~-/$@#### satisfied. ####@$/-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨-$#¶¶ ¶¶#$-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~////$# they measure my clothes. "you are going #$////~¨¨¨
¨~----$@@¶ to become about half as big", they tell ¶@@$----~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## me, barely controlling themselves with ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## anticipation. ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@###¶ ¶###@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@##¶# / #¶##@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## --- ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#¶¶¶ ~~~~~ ¶¶¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$$$$@¶ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¶@$$$$/-~¨
¨~--//@@¶¶ ~~~~~ ¶¶@@//--~¨
¨~-/$@#¶## --- ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨-/@@¶ / ¶@@/-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~/@¶ ¶@/~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨~--/@##¶ ¶##@/--~¨¨
¨¨¨¨~/$@¶# #¶@$/~¨¨¨¨
¨~-/$@#¶## ##¶#@$/-~¨
¨~-/$@#### ####@$/-~¨