..........                                          ..........
,.........                                          .........,
^,........                                          ........,^
$^,.......                                          .......,^$
§$^,......                                          ......,^$§
@§$^,..... THEY  TELL ME:  "WE ARE GOING  TO SHRINK .....,^$§@
#@§$^,.... YOU."  I  DON'T QUITE  LIKE THE  TONE IN ....,^$§@#
##@§$^,... THEIR VOICES,  LIKE THEY ARE RESTRAINING ...,^$§@##
###@§$^,.. THEMSELVES.  THERE  IS A HUNGER  IN THEM ..,^$§@###
####@§$^,. AND  IT  WANTS  ME  TO SHRINK. AND  WHAT .,^$§@####
###@§$^,.. REALLY  IRKS  ME  IS  THAT   SO   DO  I. ..,^$§@###
##@§$^,...                                          ...,^$§@##
#@§$^,.... THEY  GIVE ME  WRISTBANDS  AND  ANKLETS, ....,^$§@#
@§$^,..... MADE   OF   SOME  STRANGE  STONE.  THEIR .....,^$§@
§$^,......      SURFACE IS SWIRLING, LIKE DARK      ......,^$§
$^,.......   THUNDERSTORMS TRAPPED IN GLASS, LIKE   .......,^$
^,........ 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.                .........,
^,........                                          ........,^
$^,....... THEY MEASURE MY CLOTHES.  "YOU ARE GOING .......,^$
§$^,...... TO BECOME  ABOUT HALF AS BIG", THEY TELL ......,^$§
@§$^,.....  ME, BARELY CONTROLLING THEMSELVES WITH  .....,^$§@
#@§$^,....              ANTICIPATION.               ....,^$§@#
##@§$^,...                                          ...,^$§@##
###@§$^,..                     ^                    ..,^$§@###
####@§$^,.                    ~~~                   .,^$§@####
###@§$^,..                   ,,,,,                  ..,^$§@###
##@§$^,...                 ........                 ...,^$§@##
#@§$^,....                  ,,,,,                   ....,^$§@#
@§$^,.....                   ~~~                    .....,^$§@
§$^,......                    ^                     ......,^$§
$^,.......                                          .......,^$
^,........                                          ........,^
,.........                                          .........,
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........