.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .........^ 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. ~^........ .......^~\ \~^....... ......^~\% \ %\~^...... .....^~\%£ ~~~ £%\~^..... ....^~\%£@ ^^^^^ @£%\~^.... ...^~\%£@@ ........ @@£%\~^... ..^~\%£@@@ ^^^^^ @@@£%\~^.. .^~\%£@@@# ~~~ #@@@£%\~^. ..^~\%£@@@ \ @@@£%\~^.. ...^~\%£@@ @@£%\~^... ....^~\%£@ @£%\~^.... .....^~\%£ £%\~^..... ......^~\% %\~^...... .......^~\ \~^.......