¨:»**$&@@# #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»***$$&@ @&$$***»:¨
¨:»*$&@@## ##@@&$*»:¨
¨:»**$&@@# #@@&$**»:¨
¨¨¨¨»**&&@ @&&**»¨¨¨¨
¨:»**$&@## **************************************** ##@&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@@@ @@@&$**»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨»*$&@ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES @&$*»¨¨¨¨¨
¨:::»»**&& &&**»»:::¨
¨:»**$&&@@ * * * * @@&&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@## ##@&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@@@ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE @@@&$**»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»**& 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 @$$*:¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»**$&@@# OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»»***$@@ ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER @@$***»»:¨
¨:»**$&@@# AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@@# THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&&&@ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED @&&&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@@@ OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY @@@&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&&&@ AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM @&&&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@@# THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»**$&@@@ @@@&$**»:¨
¨¨¨¨:»»*&@ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @&*»»:¨¨¨¨
¨:»**$&@@@ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED @@@&$**»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»*$@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @$*»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»**$&@## SAID - ##@&$**»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨»*& &*»¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨»***$$& * * * * &$$***»¨¨¨
¨:»***$&&@ @&&$***»:¨
¨:»**$&@@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»*****&@ @&*****»:¨
¨¨¨¨:**&&& **************************************** &&&**:¨¨¨¨
¨:»**$&@@# #@@&$**»:¨
¨:»***$$&@ @&$$***»:¨
¨¨::»*$&@@ @@&$*»::¨¨
¨:»**$@@## ##@@$**»:¨
¨¨¨:»*$$&@ @&$$*»:¨¨¨