##@§@$;«-,                                          ,-«;$@§@##
#@@§@$;«-,                                          ,-«;$@§@@#
§$;-,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,-;$§
#§@;;;«-,,                                          ,,-«;;;@§#
#§$$;«-,,,                                          ,,,-«;$$§#
###@@$;«-, ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,-«;$@@###
@§@@;-,,,,                                          ,,,,-;@@§@
#§@;«-,,,,          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 ,,,,,-;@@@
##@§@$;«-, VASES.  SHE  WAS  BEAUTIFUL,  AND  AS  I ,-«;$@§@##
#@@$$$;«-, APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED  UP AND SNIVELED. ,-«;$$$@@#
##@§@$;«-, IN  THE NEAREST  VASE  SHE  HAD  STUFFED ,-«;$@§@##
§@$«-,,,,,              BOTH THE SHOES.             ,,,,,-«$@§
§§$$$$;«-,                                          ,-«;$$$$§§
##@§@$;«-, I  TOLD HER  TO  FOLLOW, BUT  SHE DIDN'T ,-«;$@§@##
§$««««««-, MOVE  OR  SPEAK.  SO INSTEAD  I SAID  TO ,-««««««$§
#@§§@$;«-, STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET  HER A BETTER ,-«;$@§§@#
§§§§@$;«-, PAIR OF SHOES  THAT  SHE  WOULD ACTUALLY ,-«;$@§§§§
#@@§@$;«-, LIKE.  WHEN  I  RETURNED,  HAVING  SPENT ,-«;$@§@@#
##@§@$;«-, MORE THAN  I  COULD  REALLY AFFORD,  SHE ,-«;$@§@##
#@§$;««,,, WAS VISIBLY  IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND ,,,««;$§@#
##@§@$;«-, COOL,  SAYING  SOMETHING LIKE  "WHAT  DO ,-«;$@§@##
##@§@$;«-, YOU  THINK,  JUST  BECAUSE  A GIRL HAS A ,-«;$@§@##
@@@§@$;«-, FREAKY DAD,  SHE  DOESN'T  HAVE  TASTE?" ,-«;$@§@@@
§@;«---,,, BUT  MOUSE  GIRL  JUST  LAUGHED  AT  ME. ,,,---«;@§
#§$;;-,,,,                                          ,,,,-;;$§#
§@;;«-,,,, SHE THEN TOOK  ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME ,,,,-«;;@§
##@§@$;«-, OUT  A  SIDE  ROUTE   TO   A  CLOSED-OFF ,-«;$@§@##
§§@$;«««-, ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL  OF JUNIPER ,-«««;$@§§
§§@$«-,,,, AND THUJA. IT  WAS  A  LATE EVENING, AND ,,,,-«$@§§
§$««,,,,,,     THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING     ,,,,,,««$§
#§§§@$;«-, CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD  ITS LIGHT TURNED ,-«;$@§§§#
##@§@$;«-, OFF, BUT  WE  COULD  STILL  SEE  OUR WAY ,-«;$@§@##
§§@$;--,,, AROUND BY  THE  LIGHT  SHINING DOWN FROM ,,,--;$@§§
§@;«-,,,,, THE   WINDOWS   OF  THE  HIGHER  FLOORS. ,,,,,-«;@§
§$$$$;-,,,                                          ,,,-;$$$$§
#@@§@$;«-, SHE LAY DOWN IN A  PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ,-«;$@§@@#
##@§@$;«-, DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ,-«;$@§@##
##@§@$;«-, CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED AT ME  AGAIN,  AND ,-«;$@§@##
##@§@$;«-,                  SAID -                  ,-«;$@§@##
##@§@$;«-,                                          ,-«;$@§@##
§§@;;;««-,                ;  ;  ;  ;                ,-««;;;@§§
@@@$$««,,,                                          ,,,««$$@@@
@§§@$««,,, (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ,,,««$@§§@
@§@;-,,,,,                                          ,,,,,-;@§@
##@§@$;«-, ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,-«;$@§@##
##@§@$;«-,                                          ,-«;$@§@##
#@§@;;;«-,                                          ,-«;;;@§@#
##@§@$;«-,                                          ,-«;$@§@##
§$$«---,,,                                          ,,,---«$$§
##@§@$;«-,                                          ,-«;$@§@##