§§=~...... ......~=§§
#§§====~~. .~~====§§#
§§§§~~~... ...~~~§§§§
###§§§=~~. .~~=§§§###
###§§§=~~. .~~=§§§###
#§§~...... 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. ...~~~§§##
§§§§~..... .....~§§§§
###§§§=~~. = .~~=§§§###
#§§=~~~... ~~~ ...~~~=§§#
##§§~~.... ~~~~~ ....~~§§##
##§=~..... ........ .....~=§##
###§§§=~~. ~~~~~ .~~=§§§###
###§§§=~~. ~~~ .~~=§§§###
###§§§=~~. = .~~=§§§###
##§==~.... ....~==§##
###§§§=~~. .~~=§§§###
###§§§=~~. .~~=§§§###
###§§§=~~. .~~=§§§###
##§§§§=~~. .~~=§§§§##