..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## **************************************** ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## * * * * ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# AND TALLER THAN A PERSON. IN EACH VASE #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ WAS PLACED UPRIGHT A LEAF FROM A PALM @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# TREE OR GIANT FERN. THE BOULEVARD WAS #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE. #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# * * * * #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# FOLLOWING THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## I FOUND HER CRYING BEHIND TWO FERN ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# VASES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND AS I #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# IN THE NEAREST VASE SHE HAD STUFFED #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## BOTH THE SHOES. ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ I TOLD HER TO FOLLOW, BUT SHE DIDN'T @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# MOVE OR SPEAK. SO INSTEAD I SAID TO #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET HER A BETTER ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# PAIR OF SHOES THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ LIKE. WHEN I RETURNED, HAVING SPENT @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# MORE THAN I COULD REALLY AFFORD, SHE #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# COOL, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "WHAT DO #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# SAID - #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# * * * * #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# **************************************** #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ @¤&$*~:...
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
.:~*$&¤@## ##@¤&$*~:.
..:~*$&¤@# #@¤&$*~:..
...:~*$&¤@ @¤&$*~:...