,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^                                          ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^~                                          ~^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^~\                                          \~^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^~\* 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.               \~^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^~\*                                          *\~^,,,,,,
,,,,,^~\*%                    \                     %*\~^,,,,,
,,,,^~\*%£                    ~~~                   £%*\~^,,,,
,,,^~\*%£#                   ^^^^^                  #£%*\~^,,,
,,^~\*%£#@                 ,,,,,,,,                 @#£%*\~^,,
,^~\*%£#@#                   ^^^^^                  #@#£%*\~^,
,,^~\*%£#@                   ~~~                    @#£%*\~^,,
,,,^~\*%£#                     \                    #£%*\~^,,,
,,,,^~\*%£                                          £%*\~^,,,,
,,,,,^~\*%                                          %*\~^,,,,,
,,,,,,^~\*                                          *\~^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^~\                                          \~^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^~                                          ~^,,,,,,,,