,,,«/%*@¶# #¶@*%/«,,,
,,«/%*@¶## ##¶@*%/«,,
,,,«/%*@¶# #¶@*%/«,,,
,,,,«/%*@¶ ¶@*%/«,,,,
,,,,,«/%*@ @*%/«,,,,,
,,,,,,«/%* //////////////////////////////////////// *%/«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«/% %/«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«/ 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) %/«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«/%* *%/«,,,,,,
,,,,,«/%*@ //////////////////////////////////////// @*%/«,,,,,
,,,,«/%*@¶ ¶@*%/«,,,,
,,,«/%*@¶# #¶@*%/«,,,
,,«/%*@¶## ##¶@*%/«,,
,,,«/%*@¶# #¶@*%/«,,,
,,,,«/%*@¶ ¶@*%/«,,,,