@@^^††=...                                          ...=††^^@@
####&^†=^.                                          .^=†^&####
#@&†^.....                                          .....^†&@#
###@&^†=^.                                          .^=†^&@###
##&&^==^^.                                          .^^==^&&##
###@&^†=^. 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.               .^=†^&@###
###@&^†=^.                                          .^=†^&@###
##&&††^...                    †                     ...^††&&##
@@^^^=....                   ===                    ....=^^^@@
#@^^††^...                   ^^^^^                  ...^††^^@#
#@&^==^...                 ........                 ...^==^&@#
###@&^†=^.                  ^^^^^                   .^=†^&@###
@@@&†=....                    ===                   ....=†&@@@
@@&&&^†=^.                     †                    .^=†^&&&@@
###@&^†=^.                                          .^=†^&@###
###@&^†=^.                                          .^=†^&@###
@^^===....                                          ....===^^@
###@&^†=^.                                          .^=†^&@###
@&^=......                                          ......=^&@