§¨§¨§¨§¨¨§                                          ¨¨§§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨ 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.              ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                    †                     ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                    ~~~                   ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                   .....                  ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                  .....                   ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                   ~~~                    ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                    †                     ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨¨
§¨§¨§¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§