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.:~\%$£### they tell  me: "we  are going  to shrink ###£$%\~:.
....~%%$$£ you." i don't  quite  like the  tone  in £$$%%~....
....~%$$££ their voices, like they are  restraining ££$$%~....
.:~~\\\\$# 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      ###£$%\~:.
.:~\\\%£££   thunderstorms trapped in glass, like   £££%\\\~:.
.:~\%£#### windows into a smaller  world, close  to ####£%\~:.
...~~\\%£# my  body  so  that it  can  see  clearly #£%\\~~...
......:\$£             whats in store.              £$\:......
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.:~\%$£### they give  me food: prawn-like bugs that ###£$%\~:.
.:~\%$£### make my tongue  curl  with satisfaction. ###£$%\~:.
.:~\%$£### "out  of this world", i think, having no ###£$%\~:.
.:~\%%%£## 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.              #£$\~:....
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