@@%%$^~-.. ..-~^$%%@@
#@@&%$^~-. .-~^$%&@@#
@@&%^--... ...--^%&@@
##@@%$^~-. .-~^$%@@##
@@@&%$^~-. .-~^$%&@@@
##@@&%$^~. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .~^$%&@@##
&%$$$^-... ...-^$$$%&
##@&%$^~-. MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES .-~^$%&@##
#@@&%$^~-. .-~^$%&@@#
@@@&%$^~-. ^ ^ ^ ^ .-~^$%&@@@
&$$~~--... ...--~~$$&
#@@&%$^~-. IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE .-~^$%&@@#
#@@&%$^~-. SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN .-~^$%&@@#
#@@&%$^~-. A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / .-~^$%&@@#
#@@&%$^~-. SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY .-~^$%&@@#
@&%^-..... 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 ...-^^^$$&
#@@&%$^~-. AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND .-~^$%&@@#
&$~-...... THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING ......-~$&
#@@&%$^~-. CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED .-~^$%&@@#
@@@&%$^~-. OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY .-~^$%&@@@
##@&%$^~-. AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM .-~^$%&@##
&&$^~-.... THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ....-~^$&&
@@&&%$^~-. .-~^$%&&@@
&$~~~-.... SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ....-~~~$&
&$^^~-.... DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ....-~^^$&
#@@&%$^~-. CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND .-~^$%&@@#
#@@&%$^~-. SAID - .-~^$%&@@#
&%^~...... ......~^%&
@%%^^~-... ^ ^ ^ ^ ...-~^^%%@
##@@&$^~-. .-~^$&@@##
#@@&%$^~-. (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) .-~^$%&@@#
##@&%$^~-. .-~^$%&@##
@&%%%$^~-. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .-~^$%%%&@
#@@&%$^~-. .-~^$%&@@#
@%$~-..... .....-~$%@
@@&$^~-... ...-~^$&@@
@@&%%$^~-. .-~^$%%&@@
@@@&%$^~-. .-~^$%&@@@