,,»;*$@@## ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;;;;*@@ @@*;;;;»,,
,,»*$@@### ###@@$*»,,
,,»;*$@@## ##@@$*;»,,
,,,,»;**@@ @@**;»,,,,
,,»;*$@@## ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@## ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*@@### 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 ###@@*;»,,
,,»;*$@@## YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A ##@@$*;»,,
,,,»»**$@# FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" #@$**»»,,,
,,»;*$@@## BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@## ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@## SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@@@ OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF @@@@$*;»,,
,,,,,;$@@# ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER #@@$;,,,,,
,,»;*$@@## AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@@# THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING #@@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@@@ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED @@@@$*;»,,
,,»;;;*$@@ OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY @@$*;;;»,,
,,»;*$@@## AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM ##@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@## THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ##@@$*;»,,
,,,»»;**$@ @$**;»»,,,
,,»»;;;$@@ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @@$;;;»»,,
,,»;****$@ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED @$****;»,,
,,,,,,,;$@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @$;,,,,,,,
,,,»;**$@# SAID - #@$**;»,,,
,,,,»»»*@@ @@*»»»,,,,
,,»;*$@@@# ; ; ; ; #@@@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@### ###@$*;»,,
,,»;*$@@## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##@@$*;»,,
,,,,,»»*@# #@*»»,,,,,
,,»;*$@@@# ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; #@@@$*;»,,
,,,,»»*@@# #@@*»»,,,,
,,»;*$@@@@ @@@@$*;»,,
,,,,,»*$@@ @@$*»,,,,,
,,»;*$@@@@ @@@@$*;»,,
,,,,,;;;$@ @$;;;,,,,,