####*$:~~¨ ¨~~:$*####
###*$:~~¨¨ ¨¨~~:$*###
##*$:~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~:$*##
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
*$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$*
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ THEY TELL ME: "WE ARE GOING TO SHRINK ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
##*$:~~¨¨¨ YOU." I DON'T QUITE LIKE THE TONE IN ¨¨¨~~:$*##
###*$:~~¨¨ THEIR VOICES, LIKE THEY ARE RESTRAINING ¨¨~~:$*###
####*$:~~¨ THEMSELVES. THERE IS A HUNGER IN THEM ¨~~:$*####
###*$:~~¨¨ AND IT WANTS ME TO SHRINK. AND WHAT ¨¨~~:$*###
##*$:~~¨¨¨ REALLY IRKS ME IS THAT SO DO I. ¨¨¨~~:$*##
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
*$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ THEY GIVE ME WRISTBANDS AND ANKLETS, ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$*
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ MADE OF SOME STRANGE STONE. THEIR ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
##*$:~~¨¨¨ SURFACE IS SWIRLING, LIKE DARK ¨¨¨~~:$*##
###*$:~~¨¨ THUNDERSTORMS TRAPPED IN GLASS, LIKE ¨¨~~:$*###
####*$:~~¨ WINDOWS INTO A SMALLER WORLD, CLOSE TO ¨~~:$*####
###*$:~~¨¨ MY BODY SO THAT IT CAN SEE CLEARLY ¨¨~~:$*###
##*$:~~¨¨¨ WHATS IN STORE. ¨¨¨~~:$*##
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
*$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ THEY GIVE ME FOOD: PRAWN-LIKE BUGS THAT ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$*
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ MAKE MY TONGUE CURL WITH SATISFACTION. ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
##*$:~~¨¨¨ "OUT OF THIS WORLD", I THINK, HAVING NO ¨¨¨~~:$*##
###*$:~~¨¨ FRAME OF REFERENCE. I EAT ONLY TWO, BUT ¨¨~~:$*###
####*$:~~¨ THE BUGS LEAVE ME SUSPICIOUSLY ¨~~:$*####
###*$:~~¨¨ SATISFIED. ¨¨~~:$*###
##*$:~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~:$*##
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ THEY MEASURE MY CLOTHES. "YOU ARE GOING ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
*$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ TO BECOME ABOUT HALF AS BIG", THEY TELL ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$*
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ME, BARELY CONTROLLING THEMSELVES WITH ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
##*$:~~¨¨¨ ANTICIPATION. ¨¨¨~~:$*##
###*$:~~¨¨ ¨¨~~:$*###
####*$:~~¨ : ¨~~:$*####
###*$:~~¨¨ ~~~ ¨¨~~:$*###
##*$:~~¨¨¨ ~~~~~ ¨¨¨~~:$*##
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
*$:~~¨¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~ ¨¨¨¨¨~~:$*
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ~~~ ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#
##*$:~~¨¨¨ : ¨¨¨~~:$*##
###*$:~~¨¨ ¨¨~~:$*###
####*$:~~¨ ¨~~:$*####
###*$:~~¨¨ ¨¨~~:$*###
##*$:~~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~~:$*##
#*$:~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~:$*#