¨.=:^¤@#@# #@#@¤^:=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨=:^@ @^:=¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.=:^^¤@#@ @#@¤^^:=.¨
¨.=:^¤@#@@ @@#@¤^:=.¨
¨.=:^¤@#@# #@#@¤^:=.¨
¨¨..==^¤## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##¤^==..¨¨
¨.=:^¤@#@# #@#@¤^:=.¨
¨.=::^^@@# 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) #@@@¤^:=.¨
¨.=:^¤¤@## ##@¤¤^:=.¨
¨¨¨..:¤¤## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##¤¤:..¨¨¨
¨.=^¤@#@## ##@#@¤^=.¨
¨¨¨¨¨=^^@# #@^^=¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.=^¤@ @¤^=.¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.:¤# #¤:.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨..=:¤# #¤:=..¨¨¨¨