...~~~~^†&                                          &†^~~~~...
.....~^††&                                          &††^~.....
.~~««††**&                                          &**††««~~.
....~^**@#                                          #@**^~....
.~«†*&@###                                          ###@&*†«~.
.~~«««^†*@ 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.              @&&*††^«~.
.~«^†*&@##                                          ##@&*†^«~.
.~«^†*&@##                    ^                     ##@&*†^«~.
..~~~««^*@                    «««                   @*^««~~~..
.~«^†*&@##                  ~~~~~                   ##@&*†^«~.
.~«^†*&@##                 ........                 ##@&*†^«~.
.~«^†*&@##                   ~~~~~                  ##@&*†^«~.
.~«^†*&@##                    «««                   ##@&*†^«~.
..~~«††*&@                     ^                    @&*††«~~..
.~«^†*&@##                                          ##@&*†^«~.
...~««^*&#                                          #&*^««~...
.~«^†*&@##                                          ##@&*†^«~.
.~«^†*&###                                          ###&*†^«~.
.~«^†**&@@                                          @@&**†^«~.