##¶£&*†~,.                                          .,~†*&£¶##
¶&††,,....                                          ....,,††&¶
¶£&†~,,...                                          ...,,~†&£¶
¶¶¶£&*†~,.                                          .,~†*&£¶¶¶
£*†~......                                          ......~†*£
#£&†††,... 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.               .,~†*&£¶##
#¶££&*†~,.                                          .,~†*&££¶#
¶¶££&*†~,.                     †                    .,~†*&££¶¶
###£&*†~,.                    ~~~                   .,~†*&£###
##¶£&*†~,.                   ,,,,,                  .,~†*&£¶##
££££&*†~,.                 ........                 .,~†*&££££
#£*††,....                  ,,,,,                   ....,††*£#
£&&&&*†~,.                    ~~~                   .,~†*&&&&£
¶¶¶£&*†~,.                    †                     .,~†*&£¶¶¶
##¶£&*†~,.                                          .,~†*&£¶##
£*†,......                                          ......,†*£
¶£££&*†~,.                                          .,~†*&£££¶
¶&&*~.....                                          .....~*&&¶
£**~,.....                                          .....,~**£