@@@@==.... ....==@@@@
##@&@%==~. .~==%@&@##
##@&@%==~. .~==%@&@##
&%==~~.... ....~~==%&
&&&%===~.. ..~===%&&&
@@@@==.... ======================================== ....==@@@@
#@@&@%==~. .~==%@&@@#
@@@&@%==~. 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) .~==%@&@@#
&@@%%=.... ....=%%@@&
#@@&@%==~. ======================================== .~==%@&@@#
##@@@%==~. .~==%@@@##
@@&&@%==~. .~==%@&&@@
#@@&@%==~. .~==%@&@@#
&@==~..... .....~==@&
&%%=...... ......=%%&