¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~                                          ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«                                          «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\                                          \«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\†                                          †\«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«\†% 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.               #@§%†\«~¨¨
¨¨¨~«\†%§@                                          @§%†\«~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~«\†%§                     \                    §%†\«~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~«\†%                    «««                   %†\«~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\†                   ~~~~~                  †\«~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\                 ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                 \«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«                   ~~~~~                  «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~                   «««                    ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                    \                     ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~                                          ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«                                          «~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~«\                                          \«~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨