=......... .........=
.......... ..........
=......... .........=
*=........ ........=*
**=....... .......=**
$**=...... **************************************** ......=**$
&$**=..... .....=**$&
@&$**=.... MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ....=**$&@
@@&$**=... ...=**$&@@
#@@&$**=.. * * * * ..=**$&@@#
@@&$**=... ...=**$&@@
@&$**=.... IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ....=**$&@
&$**=..... SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN .....=**$&
$**=...... A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ......=**$
**=....... 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) .........=
.......... ..........
=......... **************************************** .........=
*=........ ........=*
**=....... .......=**
$**=...... ......=**$
&$**=..... .....=**$&
@&$**=.... ....=**$&@