.......^«*                                          *«^.......
......^«*%                                          %*«^......
.....^«*%§                                          §%*«^.....
....^«*%§#                                          #§%*«^....
...^«*%§##                                          ##§%*«^...
..^«*%§### 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.               ##§%*«^...
....^«*%§#                                          #§%*«^....
.....^«*%§                     *                    §%*«^.....
......^«*%                   «««                    %*«^......
.......^«*                   ^^^^^                  *«^.......
........^«                 ........                 «^........
.........^                  ^^^^^                   ^.........
..........                   «««                    ..........
..........                    *                     ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^«                                          «^........