.:«:%¤&###                                          ###&¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤&###                                          ###&¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤####                                          ####¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤&###                                          ###&¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤&###                                          ###&¤%:«:.
..:«:%¤&## 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.              &%«.......
.:«::::¤&&                                          &&¤::::«:.
.::«:%%¤##                     :                    ##¤%%:«::.
.:«:%¤&###                   «««                    ###&¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤&###                   :::::                  ###&¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤####                 ........                 ####¤%:«:.
:«:%¤&####                   :::::                  ####&¤%:«:
.:«:%¤&###                   «««                    ###&¤%:«:.
.:«:%¤&###                    :                     ###&¤%:«:.
.....:::%&                                          &%:::.....
....:«:%¤&                                          &¤%:«:....
...««%¤¤&#                                          #&¤¤%««...
.:«:%¤&###                                          ###&¤%:«:.
....«::¤##                                          ##¤::«....