¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
,»/^$@#### //////////////////////////////////////// ####@$^/»,
¨¨¨¨¨,»^@@ @@^»,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,»/^$@### MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ###@$^/»,¨
¨¨¨¨,»^@@@ @@@^»,¨¨¨¨
¨,»»///$@# / / / / #@$///»»,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨»^@@ @@^»¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨»/^$@@ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE @@$^/»¨¨¨¨
¨,»/^$@### SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ###@$^/»,¨
¨¨¨¨»/^@@# 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 - @@^////»,¨
¨¨¨,»»//^@ @^//»»,¨¨¨
¨,»/^^^$@# / / / / #@$^^^/»,¨
¨,»/^$#### ####$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@@@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@@@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨,/^$@#### ####@$^/,¨
¨,»/^$@### ###@$^/»,¨
¨¨¨,,,»/$@ @$/»,,,¨¨¨