§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨¨§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§¨¨
§¨¨§§§§§§¨                                          ¨§§§§§§¨¨§
¨¨¨¨§§§§¨¨                                          ¨¨§§§§¨¨¨¨
§§§¨¨§§¨¨§                                          §¨¨§§¨¨§§§
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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.               §§§§§¨¨¨¨§
§§¨¨¨¨§§§§                                          ¨§§§¨¨§§¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨¨§§¨                     †                    ¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    ~~~                   ¨¨¨¨§§§§§§
§¨¨§§§§§§¨                   -----                  §§§¨¨§§§§§
¨¨¨¨§§§§¨¨                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 §§¨¨¨¨§§§§
¨§§¨¨§§¨¨§                  -----                   §¨¨§§¨¨§§¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    ~~~                   ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
§§§§§§§§§§                     †                    §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§                                          §§§§§§§§§§