##%$*~^... ...^~*$%##
@##%$*~^.. ..^~*$%##@
#@##%$*~^. .^~*$%##@#
@##%$*~^.. ..^~*$%##@
##%$*~^... ...^~*$%##
#%$*~^.... **************************************** ....^~*$%#
%$*~^..... .....^~*$%
$*~^...... MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ......^~*$
*~^....... .......^~*
~^........ * * * * ........^~
*~^....... .......^~*
$*~^...... IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ......^~*$
%$*~^..... SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN .....^~*$%
#%$*~^.... A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ....^~*$%#
##%$*~^... SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ...^~*$%##
@##%$*~^.. POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ..^~*$%##@
#@##%$*~^. THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING .^~*$%##@#
@##%$*~^.. BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ..^~*$%##@
##%$*~^... SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT ...^~*$%##
#%$*~^.... THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ....^~*$%#
%$*~^..... .....^~*$%
$*~^...... THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ......^~*$
*~^....... 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) .......^~*
$*~^...... ......^~*$
%$*~^..... **************************************** .....^~*$%
#%$*~^.... ....^~*$%#
##%$*~^... ...^~*$%##
@##%$*~^.. ..^~*$%##@
#@##%$*~^. .^~*$%##@#
@##%$*~^.. ..^~*$%##@