,,,^^««††#                                          #††««^^,,,
,^«\†§#¶##                                          ##¶#§†\«^,
,^«\†§#¶##                                          ##¶#§†\«^,
,^«\†§#¶##                                          ##¶#§†\«^,
,^«\†§####                                          ####§†\«^,
,,,,,,«\§¶ 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.              ¶#§†«,,,,,
,^«\†§§§##                                          ##§§§†\«^,
,^«\†§#¶##                     \                    ##¶#§†\«^,
,,,,«\††§#                   «««                    #§††\«,,,,
,,,,,,^\§#                  ^^^^^                   #§\^,,,,,,
,^«\†§#¶##                 ,,,,,,,,                 ##¶#§†\«^,
,,,,,«††##                   ^^^^^                  ##††«,,,,,
,^«\†§#¶##                   «««                    ##¶#§†\«^,
,^«\†§¶###                    \                     ###¶§†\«^,
,,,,^\\§##                                          ##§\\^,,,,
,,,,,,^\§¶                                          ¶§\^,,,,,,
,,,««††§¶¶                                          ¶¶§††««,,,
,^«\†§#¶##                                          ##¶#§†\«^,
,^«\†§#¶##                                          ##¶#§†\«^,