##£#%===,¨ ¨,===%#£##
##£#%===,¨ ¨,===%#£##
##=====,¨¨ ¨¨,=====##
##£#%===,¨ ¨,===%#£##
##%====¨¨¨ ¨¨¨====%##
£%%=====,¨ ======================================== ¨,=====%%£
#%==,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,==%#
##£#%===,¨ 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) ¨,===%#£##
##£#%===,¨ ¨,===%#£##
##£#%===,¨ ======================================== ¨,===%#£##
#===¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨===#
##£#%===,¨ ¨,===%#£##
##==,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,==##
#££#%===,¨ ¨,===%#££#
###£#%==,¨ ¨,==%#£###