¶%%%%=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=%%%%¶
##%†==¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨==†%##
¶¶¶#%%†=,¨ ¨,=†%%#¶¶¶
##%†==¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨==†%##
##¶#%%†=,¨ ¨,=†%%#¶##
###¶#%†=,¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨,=†%#¶###
##¶#%%†=,¨ ¨,=†%%#¶##
¶###%%†=,¨ 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) ¨¨¨=†††%¶#
#%††††,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,††††%#
##¶#%%†=,¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨,=†%%#¶##
¶¶%%†††=,¨ ¨,=†††%%¶¶
###%%=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=%%###
¶%%%†===,¨ ¨,===†%%%¶
###¶%%†=,¨ ¨,=†%%¶###
###%†=¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨=†%###