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.......~^† 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.             ##£¤£†^~..
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....~^†£¤£ 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.              ^~........
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