....~~†*%#                                          #%*†~~....
.....~~†*%                                          %*†~~.....
....~~†*%#                                          #%*†~~....
...~~†*%##                                          ##%*†~~...
..~~†*%###                                          ###%*†~~..
.~~†*%#### 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.               ###%*†~~..
...~~†*%##                                          ##%*†~~...
....~~†*%#                     †                    #%*†~~....
.....~~†*%                    ~~~                   %*†~~.....
....~~†*%#                   ~~~~~                  #%*†~~....
...~~†*%##                 ........                 ##%*†~~...
..~~†*%###                   ~~~~~                  ###%*†~~..
.~~†*%####                   ~~~                    ####%*†~~.
..~~†*%###                     †                    ###%*†~~..
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.....~~†*%                                          %*†~~.....
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...~~†*%##                                          ##%*†~~...