##@#¤%%:»^ ^»:%%¤#@##
@¤¤%%%:»^¨ ¨^»:%%%¤¤@
¤%%»»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»»%%¤
#@#¤%%:»^¨ ¨^»:%%¤#@#
¤%:»^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^»:%¤
#@#¤%%:»^¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨^»:%%¤#@#
##%:»¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨»:%##
#@#¤%%:»^¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨»:%%#
#@#¤%%:»^¨ ¨^»:%%¤#@#
#¤%%:»»^¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨^»»:%%¤#
###¤%%:»^¨ ¨^»:%%¤###
#%:»¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨»:%#
##@#¤%:»^¨ ¨^»:%¤#@##
#@#¤%%:»^¨ ¨^»:%%¤#@#
@¤%:»^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^»:%¤@