¨¨¨,**&&## ##&&**,¨¨¨
¨,~**&#### ####&**~,¨
¨¨¨~****&# #&****~¨¨¨
¨,~**&#### ####&**~,¨
¨¨¨¨,*&### ###&*,¨¨¨¨
¨,~**&#### **************************************** ####&**~,¨
¨,~***&### ###&***~,¨
¨¨¨¨,,~**# 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) ####&**~,¨
¨,~**&#### ####&**~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~**&# **************************************** #&**~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,,**&&# #&&**,,¨¨¨
¨,~**&#### ####&**~,¨
¨,~****&## ##&****~,¨
¨,~**&#### ####&**~,¨
¨¨¨,,***## ##***,,¨¨¨