¨,===$§£## ##£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£## ##£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£@# #@£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨¨==$§£ £§$==¨¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£@@ @@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£@# ======================================== #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£@# #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§@## MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ##@§$===,¨
¨,===§£@## ##@£§===,¨
¨,===$£@## = = = = ##@£$===,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,=$£ £$=,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£@# IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE #@£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨===$$§ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN §$$===¨¨¨¨
¨,==$§£@## A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ##@£§$==,¨
¨,====$$£@ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY @£$$====,¨
¨¨¨¨,===$£ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE £$===,¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§§£@ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING @£§§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨¨===$§ BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D §$===¨¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£@# SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£@# THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§@## ##@§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=$§£ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A £§$=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£@@ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER @@£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨,=$§§£ SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY £§§$=,¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£## TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD ##£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨,,==$§ WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT §$==,,¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§@## QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND ##@§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨,,==$§ WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. §$==,,¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£@# #@£§$===,¨
¨¨¨,,=$$£@ THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. @£$$=,,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨===§ 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 §§§==,,,¨¨
¨,===$§£@# DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$$$$£ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND £$$$$===,¨
,===$§£@## SAID - ##@£§$===,
¨,===$§£@# #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£@# = = = = #@£§$===,¨
¨,===$§£@# #@£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨,,==$§ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) §$==,,¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§££@ @££§$===,¨
¨,===$§£## ======================================== ##£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨,=$§£@ @£§$=,¨¨¨¨
¨,===$§£## ##£§$===,¨
¨¨¨¨===$$£ £$$===¨¨¨¨
¨,=====§£@ @£§=====,¨
¨,===$§£@# #@£§$===,¨