,^-^§$@@##                                          ##@@$§^-^,
,,^-^§$@@#                                          #@@$§^-^,,
,,,^-^§$@@                                          @@$§^-^,,,
,,,,^-^§$@                                          @$§^-^,,,,
,,,,,^-^§$                                          $§^-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-^§ they  tell  me: "we are  going to shrink §^-^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-^ you."  i don't  quite like  the  tone in ^-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^- their  voices, like they are restraining -^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-^ themselves.  there is  a  hunger in them ^-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^-^§ and  it wants  me  to  shrink. and  what §^-^,,,,,,
,,,,,^-^§$ 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.              @@$§^-^,,,
,,,,^-^§$@                                          @$§^-^,,,,
,,,,,^-^§$                     ^                    $§^-^,,,,,
,,,,,,^-^§                    ---                   §^-^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-^                   ^^^^^                  ^-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^-                 ,,,,,,,,                 -^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^-^                  ^^^^^                   ^-^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^-^§                   ---                    §^-^,,,,,,
,,,,,^-^§$                    ^                     $§^-^,,,,,
,,,,^-^§$@                                          @$§^-^,,,,
,,,^-^§$@@                                          @@$§^-^,,,
,,^-^§$@@#                                          #@@$§^-^,,
,^-^§$@@##                                          ##@@$§^-^,
,,^-^§$@@#                                          #@@$§^-^,,