###@%%\«.. ..«\%%@###
##@%%\«... ...«\%%@##
#@%%\«.... ....«\%%@#
@%%\«..... .....«\%%@
%%\«...... ......«\%%
%\«....... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .......«\%
\«........ ........«\
«......... 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) ..........
«......... .........«
\«........ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ........«\
%\«....... .......«\%
%%\«...... ......«\%%
@%%\«..... .....«\%%@
#@%%\«.... ....«\%%@#
##@%%\«... ...«\%%@##