##@#¤†:~^.                                          .^~:†¤#@##
#@#§¤†:~^.                                          .^~:†¤§#@#
#§¤:~.....                                          .....~:¤§#
@#¤:~~^...                                          ...^~~:¤#@
@@#§¤†:~^.                                          .^~:†¤§#@@
§†::~..... 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.              .^~:†¤#@##
@@#§¤†:~^.                                          .^~:†¤§#@@
@@#§¤†:~^.                    :                     .^~:†¤§#@@
#@#§¤†:~^.                    ~~~                   .^~:†¤§#@#
§††:^.....                   ^^^^^                  .....^:††§
#@#§¤†:~^.                 ........                 .^~:†¤§#@#
###§¤†:~^.                   ^^^^^                  .^~:†¤§###
#@#§¤†:~^.                   ~~~                    .^~:†¤§#@#
##¤†~~^...                     :                    ...^~~†¤##
##§§¤†:~^.                                          .^~:†¤§§##
§§†:^.....                                          .....^:†§§
§¤†~~^....                                          ....^~~†¤§
@§¤¤::^...                                          ...^::¤¤§@
#¤:^^.....                                          .....^^:¤#