,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,
,-=/=§@### ###@§=/=-,
,--=/===¤# #¤===/=--,
,,,---/§§¤ ¤§§/---,,,
,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,
,-=/=§¤@## //////////////////////////////////////// ##@¤§=/=-,
,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,
,,,=///=§@ 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) ##@¤§=/=-,
,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,
,---//=¤¤# //////////////////////////////////////// #¤¤=//---,
,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,
,-=/=§§¤¤¤ ¤¤¤§§=/=-,
,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,
,-=/=§§§§@ @§§§§=/=-,
,-=/=§¤@## ##@¤§=/=-,