.,«\$@&@##                                          ##@&@$\«,.
..,«\$@&@#                                          #@&@$\«,..
...,«\$@&@                                          @&@$\«,...
....,«\$@&                                          &@$\«,....
...,«\$@&@                                          @&@$\«,...
..,«\$@&@# they tell me:  "we  are going  to shrink #@&@$\«,..
.,«\$@&@## 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.              ##@&@$\«,.
..,«\$@&@#                                          #@&@$\«,..
...,«\$@&@                     \                    @&@$\«,...
....,«\$@&                   «««                    &@$\«,....
...,«\$@&@                  ,,,,,                   @&@$\«,...
..,«\$@&@#                 ........                 #@&@$\«,..
.,«\$@&@##                   ,,,,,                  ##@&@$\«,.
..,«\$@&@#                   «««                    #@&@$\«,..
...,«\$@&@                    \                     @&@$\«,...
....,«\$@&                                          &@$\«,....
...,«\$@&@                                          @&@$\«,...
..,«\$@&@#                                          #@&@$\«,..
.,«\$@&@##                                          ##@&@$\«,.
..,«\$@&@#                                          #@&@$\«,..