¨¨¨¨¨¨:\%§                                          §%\:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«\*%§###                                          ###§%*\«:¨
¨:«\*%%%%#                                          #%%%%*\«:¨
¨:«\*%§###                                          ###§%*\«:¨
¨:«\**%§§#                                          #§§%**\«:¨
¨¨¨¨:\*%%§ 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.               ##§**««:¨¨
¨:«\*%####                                          ####%*\«:¨
¨:«\*%§§##                     \                    ##§§%*\«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨«*§§#                   «««                    #§§*«¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«\*%####                   :::::                  ####%*\«:¨
¨¨¨:««\%§#                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 #§%\««:¨¨¨
¨:«\*%§###                   :::::                  ###§%*\«:¨
¨:«\%§####                    «««                   ####§%\«:¨
¨:«\*%§###                     \                    ###§%*\«:¨
¨:«*%§####                                          ####§%*«:¨
¨:«\*%§###                                          ###§%*\«:¨
¨¨¨¨¨«\%§#                                          #§%\«¨¨¨¨¨
¨:«\*%§###                                          ###§%*\«:¨
¨¨¨:«\\\%§                                          §%\\\«:¨¨¨