##¶¤%*\~,. .,~\*%¤¶##
¤%\\,..... .....,\\%¤
##¶¤%*\~,. .,~\*%¤¶##
¶%%*\~~... ...~~\*%%¶
¤*****\~,. .,~\*****¤
##¶¤%*\~,. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .,~\*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*\~,. .,~\*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*\~,. 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) .,~\*%¤¶##
¤*\\\,.... ....,\\\*¤
##¶¤%*\~,. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .,~\*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*\~,. .,~\*%¤¶##
¤%%*~..... .....~*%%¤
##¶¤%*\~,. .,~\*%¤¶##
##¶¤%*\~,. .,~\*%¤¶##
###¶¤%*\~, ,~\*%¤¶###