@#=*~~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~~*=#@
#@@#¤=*~~¨ ¨~~*=¤#@@#
#@@#¤=*~~¨ ¨~~*=¤#@@#
@@@#¤=*~~¨ ¨~~*=¤#@@@
@@¤***~~~¨ ¨~~~***¤@@
##¤****~~¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*=#
@#¤=*~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~*=¤#@
#@@#¤=*~~¨ * ¨~~*=¤#@@#
@@#==*~~~¨ ~~~ ¨~~~*==#@@
@#¤==*~¨¨¨ ~~~~~ ¨¨¨~*==¤#@
##@@#¤=*~~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ~~*=¤#@@##
@@#==~~¨¨¨ ~~~~~ ¨¨¨~~==#@@
@@@#¤=*~~¨ ~~~ ¨~~*=¤#@@@
@@@#¤=*~~¨ * ¨~~*=¤#@@@
@#==*~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~*==#@
@@¤¤¤=*~~¨ ¨~~*=¤¤¤@@
@@¤*~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~*¤@@
#¤*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*¤#
#@@#¤=*~~¨ ¨~~*=¤#@@#