###¤$^*~~. .~~*^$¤###
#¤$****~~. .~~****$¤#
¤^*~...... ......~*^¤
###¤$^*~~. .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. they tell me: "we are going to shrink .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. you." i don't quite like the tone in .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. their voices, like they are restraining .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. themselves. there is a hunger in them .~~*^$¤###
¤^~....... 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 ....~~~^¤#
#¤$^^^*~~. to become about half as big", they tell .~~*^^^$¤#
##¤¤$^*~~. me, barely controlling themselves with .~~*^$¤¤##
###¤$^*~~. anticipation. .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. * .~~*^$¤###
¤^^~...... ~~~ ......~^^¤
###¤$^*~~. ~~~~~ .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. ........ .~~*^$¤###
#¤^^~..... ~~~~~ .....~^^¤#
###¤$^*~~. ~~~ .~~*^$¤###
#¤¤$$^*~~. * .~~*^$$¤¤#
###¤$^*~~. .~~*^$¤###
###¤$^*~~. .~~*^$¤###
¤$^~...... ......~^$¤
#¤$$^~~... ...~~^$$¤#
####¤^*~~. .~~*^¤####