##@¤%=:~~. .~~:=%¤@##
@@#¤%=:~~. .~~:=%¤#@@
¤=~~~~~... ...~~~~~=¤
¤¤=:~..... .....~:=¤¤
#@#¤%=:~~. .~~:=%¤#@#
#@#¤%=:~~. 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. .....~:%¤#
##@¤%=:~~. .~~:=%¤@##
#@#¤%=:~~. : .~~:=%¤#@#
##@¤%=:~~. ~~~ .~~:=%¤@##
@@#¤%=:~~. ~~~~~ .~~:=%¤#@@
¤¤¤%%=:~~. ........ .~~:=%%¤¤¤
@#¤%:~.... ~~~~~ ....~:%¤#@
##¤===:~~. ~~~ .~~:===¤##
#%=~~..... : .....~~=%#
#@#¤%=:~~. .~~:=%¤#@#
#@#¤%=:~~. .~~:=%¤#@#
#¤=~~~~~.. ..~~~~~=¤#
¤%%:~~.... ....~~:%%¤
¤=:~...... ......~:=¤