¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨
¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨
¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-%& &%-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-^%%& &%%^-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~^^%&# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #&%^^~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨--^%%& &%%^--¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^%%& 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) ####&%^-~¨
¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~--%& ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &%--~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨
¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨
¨¨¨¨-^%&## ##&%^-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~-^%%& &%%^-~~¨¨¨
¨~-^%%&### ###&%%^-~¨