#§=====¨¨¨ ¨¨¨=====§#
#@==¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨==@#
@##§@=:=-¨ ¨-=:=@§##@
###§@=:=-¨ ¨-=:=@§###
#@#§@=:=-¨ ¨-=:=@§#@#
#@#§@=:=-¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨-=:=@§#@#
@#§@==¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨==@§#@
§@:-¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨-=:=@§#@#
§==:==-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-==:==§
#@@@@=:=-¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨-=:=@@@@#
#@=:::=-¨¨ ¨¨-=:::=@#
@#@:::=¨¨¨ ¨¨¨=:::@#@
#@#§@=:=-¨ ¨-=:=@§#@#
###§@=:=-¨ ¨-=:=@§###
##@#§@=:=¨ ¨=:=@§#@##