.~~~††$$§@                                          @§$$††~~~.
.~~†$$§#@#                                          #@#§$$†~~.
...~~†$§§§                                          §§§$†~~...
...~††$$$§                                          §$$$††~...
.~~†$$§§§@                                          @§§§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@# THEY  TELL ME:  "WE ARE GOING  TO SHRINK #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§### YOU."  I DON'T  QUITE LIKE  THE  TONE IN ###§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@# THEIR VOICES, LIKE THEY ARE  RESTRAINING #@#§$$†~~.
......~†$§ THEMSELVES.  THERE IS  A HUNGER IN  THEM §$†~......
.~~†$$§#@# AND IT WANTS  ME  TO  SHRINK.  AND  WHAT #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@# REALLY   IRKS  ME  IS  THAT  SO  DO   I. #@#§$$†~~.
....~$$$#@                                          @#$$$~....
.~~†$§#@## THEY  GIVE ME  WRISTBANDS  AND  ANKLETS, ##@#§$†~~.
.....~†$$§ MADE  OF   SOME  STRANGE   STONE.  THEIR §$$†~.....
......~†$§      SURFACE IS SWIRLING, LIKE DARK      §$†~......
...~††$§##   THUNDERSTORMS TRAPPED IN GLASS, LIKE   ##§$††~...
.~~†$$§#@# WINDOWS INTO A SMALLER  WORLD,  CLOSE TO #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@# MY  BODY  SO  THAT  IT  CAN SEE  CLEARLY #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@#              WHATS IN STORE.             #@#§$$†~~.
..~~~~$§##                                          ##§$~~~~..
..~~~†$$§§ THEY GIVE ME  FOOD: PRAWN-LIKE BUGS THAT §§$$†~~~..
.~~~~~$$$§ MAKE MY  TONGUE CURL  WITH SATISFACTION. §$$$~~~~~.
...~~~††$# "OUT  OF THIS WORLD", I THINK, HAVING NO #$††~~~...
.~~†$$§#@# FRAME OF REFERENCE. I EAT ONLY  TWO, BUT #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§@##      THE BUGS LEAVE ME SUSPICIOUSLY      ##@§$$†~~.
...~†$$$§#                SATISFIED.                #§$$$†~...
.~~†$$§#@#                                          #@#§$$†~~.
..~~~~†$$§ THEY MEASURE MY CLOTHES. "YOU  ARE GOING §$$†~~~~..
.....~~†$§ TO BECOME ABOUT HALF AS  BIG", THEY TELL §$†~~.....
.....~~$$§  ME, BARELY CONTROLLING THEMSELVES WITH  §$$~~.....
.~~†$$#@##              ANTICIPATION.               ##@#$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@#                                          #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@#                    †                     #@#§$$†~~.
...~††††$§                   ~~~                    §$††††~...
.~~†$$§#@#                  ~~~~~                   #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@#                 ........                 #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§###                  ~~~~~                   ###§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§#@#                   ~~~                    #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§§§§                     †                    §§§§$$†~~.
.....~$$§@                                          @§$$~.....
......~$§@                                          @§$~......
.~~†$$§#@#                                          #@#§$$†~~.
.~~†$$§##@                                          @##§$$†~~.
....~~$$##                                          ##$$~~....