..&.&.&&.. &.&..&&&.&
&.&&&&&.&. .&&&.&..&&
.&&....&&& .&..&&&.&.
.&.&...&.. .&&.&..&&&
&&&&&..&&. &&.&&&.&..
&....&.&.& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: &.&&..&&&.
&&...&&&&& &&&.&.&..&
..&..&.... 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) ......&..&
&...&&..&. &.....&&.&
.&..&.&.&& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: .&....&.&&
&&&.&&&&&. &&&...&&&.
&..&&....& &..&..&..&
.&.&.&...& &&.&&.&&.&
&&&&&&&..& &.&&.&&.&&
.......&.& .&&.&&.&&.