¨-»†=&@@## ##@@&=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨¨»»=§@ @§=»»¨¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§§&&& &&&§§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-»=§& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &§=»-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»=§&@@## MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ##@@&§=»-¨
¨-»†=&@@## ##@@&=†»-¨
¨-»†=§@@## † † † † ##@@§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ @@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨-†==§& IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE &§==†-¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†§&@@## A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ##@@&§†»-¨
¨-»†=§§&@@ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY @@&§§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@## POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ##@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†===§§@ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING @§§===†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D @@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨---»=§@ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT @§=»---¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†§& THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. &§†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=&@@## THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ##@@&=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&&&@ SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY @&&&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT #@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨»»=§&& QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND &&§=»»¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ @@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨---†§&& THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. &&§†---¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN #@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨-»†§§§& AND TALLER THAN A PERSON. IN EACH VASE &§§§†»-¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ WAS PLACED UPRIGHT A LEAF FROM A PALM @@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨----»†=& TREE OR GIANT FERN. THE BOULEVARD WAS &=†»----¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=&@@## WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT ##@@&=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@## EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE ##@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨-†§§&& PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE. &&§§†-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»††=&@ @&=††»¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&&@@ † † † † @@&&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@## ##@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-†§@@ FOLLOWING THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP @@§†-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# I FOUND HER CRYING BEHIND TWO FERN #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»»»»=&&@ VASES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND AS I @&&=»»»»-¨
¨-»†=&@@## APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. ##@@&=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ IN THE NEAREST VASE SHE HAD STUFFED @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§§&&& BOTH THE SHOES. &&&§§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨»»=§§@ I TOLD HER TO FOLLOW, BUT SHE DIDN'T @§§=»»¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# MOVE OR SPEAK. SO INSTEAD I SAID TO #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†§&@@## STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET HER A BETTER ##@@&§†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# PAIR OF SHOES THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# LIKE. WHEN I RETURNED, HAVING SPENT #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ MORE THAN I COULD REALLY AFFORD, SHE @@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨»»†§&@ WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND @&§†»»¨¨¨¨
¨¨-»††=&@@ COOL, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "WHAT DO @@&=††»-¨¨
¨¨¨-††††=& YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A &=††††-¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@## FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" ##@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. @@@&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨-†§§@@ @@§§†-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-†=& SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME &=†-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§§§@@ OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF @@§§§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨¨-»=§& ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER &§=»-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨-†††=&@ AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND @&=†††-¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@# THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&&&@ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @&&&§=†»-¨
¨¨¨¨--»=&& DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED &&=»--¨¨¨¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@## SAID - ##@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†††§§&& † † † † &&§§†††»-¨
¨»†=§&@@## ##@@&§=†»¨
¨-»†=§&@@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§§&@@ @@&§§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@# #@@&§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§@@## ##@@§=†»-¨
¨-»†=§&@@@ @@@&§=†»-¨