¨¨¨^~~^^^§ §^^^~~^¨¨¨
¨^~^^$$§## ##§$$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨~^^§§# #§§^^~¨¨¨¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨~^^$§#### ####§$^^~¨
¨^~^^$§### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###§$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨~^^§§§ §§§^^~¨¨¨¨
¨^~^$§#### MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ####§$^~^¨
¨^~^$§#### ####§$^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^^^§ ^ ^ ^ ^ §^^^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ###§$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^§§ 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. #§^^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^^$§ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT §$^^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~^^$§### DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ###§$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^^$## SAID - ##$^^^¨¨¨¨
¨^~^^$$$$§ §$$$$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### ^ ^ ^ ^ ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ###§$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^^^§ §^^^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^~^§ §^~^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨^~^^$§### ###§$^^~^¨
¨¨¨¨^^$$## ##$$^^¨¨¨¨