,:«†$$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$$†«:,
,:«††$$#¶@                                          @¶#$$††«:,
,:«†$$$$$¶                                          ¶$$$$$†«:,
,,,,,:††$#                                          #$††:,,,,,
,:«†$$#¶##                                          ##¶#$$†«:,
,:«†$$#¶@# 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.              #@¶#$$†«:,
,,,,,,«†$¶                                          ¶$†«,,,,,,
:«†$$#¶@##                     †                    ##@¶#$$†«:
,:«†$$$$$#                   «««                    #$$$$$†«:,
,:«††$$#¶@                  :::::                   @¶#$$††«:,
,:«†$$#¶##                 ,,,,,,,,                 ##¶#$$†«:,
,,,,,««†$#                   :::::                  #$†««,,,,,
,,,,:††$$#                    «««                   #$$††:,,,,
,:«††$$$##                     †                    ##$$$††«:,
,:«««†$$#@                                          @#$$†«««:,
,:«†$$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$$†«:,
,:«†$$$#¶@                                          @¶#$$$†«:,
,:«†$$#¶##                                          ##¶#$$†«:,
,:«†$$##¶¶                                          ¶¶##$$†«:,