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†~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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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~:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:~
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