####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
#&*-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-*
###&*--^¨¨ ¨¨^--*##
####&**-^¨ 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. ¨^-**###
####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
####&**-^¨ * ¨^-**###
#&**-^¨¨¨¨ --- ¨¨¨¨^-**
####&**-^¨ ^^^^^ ¨^-**###
#####**-^¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨^-**#####
##&*-¨¨¨¨¨ ^^^^^ ¨¨¨¨¨-*#
####&**-^¨ --- ¨^-**###
#**----¨¨¨ * ¨¨¨----**#
####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
##&***^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^***#
####&**-^¨ ¨^-**###
#*-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-*#