&%*=-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-=*%&
@&%*=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=*%&@
@@&%*=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=*%&@@
#@@&%*=-^¨ ¨^-=*%&@@#
@@&%*=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=*%&@@
@&%*=-^¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨^-=*%&@
&%*=-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-=*%&
%*=-^¨¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨^-=*%&
@&%*=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=*%&@
@@&%*=-^¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨^-=*%&@@
#@@&%*=-^¨ ¨^-=*%&@@#
@@&%*=-^¨¨ ¨¨^-=*%&@@
@&%*=-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-=*%&@
&%*=-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-=*%&
%*=-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-=*%