....«:*&&@ @&&*:«....
.,«:*¤@@ @@#&¤*:«,.
.,«:*¤#@ @##&¤*:«,.
.,«:*¤@# #@#&¤*:«,.
.,«:*¤## ###&¤*:«,.
......«*¤# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #¤*«......
....,,«*&& &&*«,,....
...««::* 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) @&**««««,.
.,«««:¤&&& &&&¤:«««,.
......««*& :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: &*««......
....«:¤¤¤# #¤¤¤:«....
.....,«*¤# #¤*«,.....
.,««::**&@ @&**::««,.
....«:*¤¤# #¤¤*:«....
.,«:*¤@# #@#&¤*:«,.