@#%%†.....                                          .....†%%#@
@#%†......                                          ......†%#@
##¶#%=†«..                                          ..«†=%#¶##
##¶#%=†«..                                          ..«†=%#¶##
##@¶#=†«..                                          ..«†=#¶@##
@¶##%=†«.. 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.               ..«†=%#¶@#
@#==««....                                          ....««==#@
@@¶#%=†«..                    †                     ..«†=%#¶@@
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#@¶#%=†«..                 ........                 ..«†=%#¶@#
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