,,,,,~/% #&%/~,,,,,
,,,,~/%# ##&%/~,,,,
,,,~/%## ###&%/~,,,
,,~/%### ####&%/~,,
,,,~/%## ###&%/~,,,
,,,,~/%# //////////////////////////////////////// ##&%/~,,,,
,,,,,~/% #&%/~,,,,,
,,,,,,~/%& 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) ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~/ /~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~/% //////////////////////////////////////// %/~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~/%& &%/~,,,,,,
,,,,,~/% #&%/~,,,,,
,,,,~/%# ##&%/~,,,,
,,,~/%## ###&%/~,,,
,,~/%### ####&%/~,,