,,,,,~:%¤& &¤%:~,,,,,
,,,,~:%¤&@ @&¤%:~,,,,
,,,~:%¤&@# #@&¤%:~,,,
,,~:%¤&@## ##@&¤%:~,,
,,,~:%¤&@# #@&¤%:~,,,
,,,,~:%¤&@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @&¤%:~,,,,
,,,,,~:%¤& &¤%:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:%¤ 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) &¤%:~,,,,,
,,,,~:%¤&@ @&¤%:~,,,,
,,,~:%¤&@# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #@&¤%:~,,,
,,~:%¤&@## ##@&¤%:~,,
,,,~:%¤&@# #@&¤%:~,,,
,,,,~:%¤&@ @&¤%:~,,,,
,,,,,~:%¤& &¤%:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:%¤ ¤%:~,,,,,,