##¶#¤%^~.. ..~^%¤#¶##
####¤%^~.. ..~^%¤####
###¶#%^~.. ..~^%#¶###
¶#¤^...... ......^¤#¶
##¶#¤%^~.. ..~^%¤#¶##
##¶#¤%^~.. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ..~^%¤#¶##
¶¶¤%%%^~.. ..~^%%%¤¶¶
##¶#¤%^~.. 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) ..~^%¤#¶##
###¶¤%^~.. ..~^%¤¶###
##¶#¤%^~.. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ..~^%¤#¶##
¶¤¤%~~~... ...~~~%¤¤¶
###¶#%^~.. ..~^%#¶###
¶#%^...... ......^%#¶
#¤%%~~.... ....~~%%¤#
###¶#¤%~.. ..~%¤#¶###