¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^ ^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^* *^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^*$ $*^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~^*$@ @$*^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~^*$@# #@$*^~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~^*$@## ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##@$*^~~¨¨
¨~~^*$@### ###@$*^~~¨
¨¨~~^*$@## 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 $*^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^* CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND *^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^ SAID - ^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~ ^ ^ ^ ^ ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~ ~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~~^* *^~~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^*$ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ $*^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~^*$@ @$*^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~^*$@# #@$*^~~¨¨¨
¨¨~~^*$@## ##@$*^~~¨¨
¨~~^*$@### ###@$*^~~¨
¨¨~~^*$@## ##@$*^~~¨¨