,,,,,,.-*† †*-.,,,,,,
,,,,,.-*†¤ ¤†*-.,,,,,
,,,,.-*†¤@ @¤†*-.,,,,
,,,.-*†¤@# #@¤†*-.,,,
,,.-*†¤@## ##@¤†*-.,,
,.-*†¤@### 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. ##@¤†*-.,,
,,,.-*†¤@# #@¤†*-.,,,
,,,,.-*†¤@ * @¤†*-.,,,,
,,,,,.-*†¤ --- ¤†*-.,,,,,
,,,,,,.-*† ..... †*-.,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.-* ,,,,,,,, *-.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.-*† ..... †*-.,,,,,,
,,,,,.-*†¤ --- ¤†*-.,,,,,
,,,,.-*†¤@ * @¤†*-.,,,,
,,,.-*†¤@# #@¤†*-.,,,
,,.-*†¤@## ##@¤†*-.,,
,.-*†¤@### ###@¤†*-.,
,,.-*†¤@## ##@¤†*-.,,
,,,.-*†¤@# #@¤†*-.,,,