,,,,,,,,:» »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»= =»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»=% %=»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»=%$ $%=»:,,,,,
,,,,:»=%$@ @$%=»:,,,,
,,,:»=%$@¶ ======================================== ¶@$%=»:,,,
,,:»=%$@¶# #¶@$%=»:,,
,:»=%$@¶## 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 $%=»:,,,,,
,,,,,,:»=% SAID - %=»:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»= =»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» = = = = »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:» (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) »:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:»= =»:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:»=% ======================================== %=»:,,,,,,
,,,,,:»=%$ $%=»:,,,,,
,,,,:»=%$@ @$%=»:,,,,
,,,:»=%$@¶ ¶@$%=»:,,,
,,:»=%$@¶# #¶@$%=»:,,
,:»=%$@¶## ##¶@$%=»:,