,,,,,=**£@ @£**=,,,,,
,~==*$£££@ @£££$*==~,
,~==*$££££ ££££$*==~,
,~==*$£#@@ @@#£$*==~,
,~==$£#@## ##@#£$==~,
,,,,,==$££ ======================================== ££$==,,,,,
,~===**££@ @££**===~,
,~==*$£#@# MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES #@#£$*==~,
,~==***££# #££***==~,
,~==*$£#@# = = = = #@#£$*==~,
,~==*$£#@# #@#£$*==~,
,~==*$$$## IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ##$$$*==~,
,~==*£#@## 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) @£*=,,,,,,
,~==*$£#@# #@#£$*==~,
,,,,~~=*$# ======================================== #$*=~~,,,,
,~==*$£#@# #@#£$*==~,
,,,,,~=*£@ @£*=~,,,,,
,~==*$£#@@ @@#£$*==~,
,,~~===$## ##$===~~,,
,~==*$£#@# #@#£$*==~,