.~~:%&##@# #@##&%:~~.
.~~:%&#### ####&%:~~.
.~~:%&&&&# #&&&&%:~~.
.~~:%&##@# #@##&%:~~.
.~~:::%%%# #%%%:::~~.
.~~:%&##@# 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. #@##&%:~~.
.~~:%&#@## ##@#&%:~~.
..~~~%%%%# : #%%%%~~~..
.~~:%&##@# ~~~ #@##&%:~~.
.~~:%&##@# ~~~~~ #@##&%:~~.
.~~:&##@## ........ ##@##&:~~.
......~:&# ~~~~~ #&:~......
.~~:%&#@## ~~~ ##@#&%:~~.
...~::&### : ###&::~...
.~~:%&###@ @###&%:~~.
...~~~:%%# #%%:~~~...
.~~:%&##@@ @@##&%:~~.
.~~:&##@## ##@##&:~~.
.~~:%&##@@ @@##&%:~~.