..~*%*@### ###@*%*~..
...~*%*@## ##@*%*~...
....~*%*@# #@*%*~....
.....~*%*@ @*%*~.....
......~*%* *%*~......
.....~*%*@ **************************************** @*%*~.....
....~*%*@# #@*%*~....
...~*%*@## 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) ###@*%*~..
...~*%*@## ##@*%*~...
....~*%*@# **************************************** #@*%*~....
.....~*%*@ @*%*~.....
......~*%* *%*~......
.....~*%*@ @*%*~.....
....~*%*@# #@*%*~....
...~*%*@## ##@*%*~...