...~»=§£§£                                          £§£§=»~...
..~»=§£§£@                                          @£§£§=»~..
.~»=§£§£@#                                          #@£§£§=»~.
..~»=§£§£@                                          @£§£§=»~..
...~»=§£§£                                          £§£§=»~...
....~»=§£§ 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. ~.........
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.......... 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.              £§£§=»~...
....~»=§£§                                          §£§=»~....
.....~»=§£                     =                    £§=»~.....
......~»=§                    »»»                   §=»~......
.......~»=                   ~~~~~                  =»~.......
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