..~†=$$¤@# #@¤$$=†~..
....~====¤ ¤====~....
...~~~=$¤# #¤$=~~~...
......~=¤# #¤=~......
..~†=$¤@## ##@¤$=†~..
..~†=$¤@## THEY TELL ME: "WE ARE GOING TO SHRINK ##@¤$=†~..
.....~==¤¤ 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 ¤=~~......
..~†$¤@### THE BUGS LEAVE ME SUSPICIOUSLY ###@¤$†~..
..~†=$¤@## SATISFIED. ##@¤$=†~..
.....~=$¤@ @¤$=~.....
..~†=$¤@## THEY MEASURE MY CLOTHES. "YOU ARE GOING ##@¤$=†~..
......~†$¤ TO BECOME ABOUT HALF AS BIG", THEY TELL ¤$†~......
..~†=$¤@## ME, BARELY CONTROLLING THEMSELVES WITH ##@¤$=†~..
......~†$¤ ANTICIPATION. ¤$†~......
..~†=$¤@## ##@¤$=†~..
....††=$$¤ † ¤$$=††....
......~=$@ ~~~ @$=~......
..~†=$¤@## ..... ##@¤$=†~..
......~~=¤ ........ ¤=~~......
..~†=$¤@@@ ..... @@@¤$=†~..
..~†=$¤@@# ~~~ #@@¤$=†~..
..~†=$¤### † ###¤$=†~..
....†††=¤¤ ¤¤=†††....
..~†=$¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤$=†~..
.....~=$@@ @@$=~.....
..~†=$¤### ###¤$=†~..
......~=$¤ ¤$=~......