¨:«*%&&@##                                          ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@@@                                          @@@&&%*«:¨
¨¨¨¨«*%%&#                                          #&%%*«¨¨¨¨
¨:«*%&&@##                                          ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&@###                                          ###@&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@## 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.               &%*:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«*%&@###                                          ###@&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@##                     *                    ##@&&%*«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨«*%&@                   «««                    @&%*«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨::«%%&@                  :::::                   @&%%«::¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:«%&                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 &%«:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«*%&&@##                  :::::                   ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@##                   «««                    ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@##                     *                    ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@##                                          ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@##                                          ##@&&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&@###                                          ###@&%*«:¨
¨:«*%&&@##                                          ##@&&%*«:¨
¨¨¨¨«*&&&@                                          @&&&*«¨¨¨¨