§$;~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~;$§
§§$;~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~;$§§
@&&;;~~,,,                                          ,,,~~;;&&@
@@@§&$;«~,                                          ,~«;$&§@@@
§§&$$$;«~,                                          ,~«;$$$&§§
##@§&$;«~, ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,~«;$&§@##
@&;~,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,~;&@
@§&;~,,,,,          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 ,,,,«;&&@@
#@@§&$;«~, OFF,  BUT  WE  COULD STILL  SEE  OUR WAY ,~«;$&§@@#
##@@§&$«~, AROUND  BY THE  LIGHT SHINING DOWN  FROM ,~«$&§@@##
@§$$«~,,,, THE  WINDOWS   OF  THE  HIGHER   FLOORS. ,,,,~«$$§@
@@§&&$;«~,                                          ,~«;$&&§@@
@§$;~,,,,, SHE LAY DOWN IN  A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ,,,,,~;$§@
§$;;««««~, DOWN  ON  MY  KNEES,  AND  THEN  CRAWLED ,~««««;;$§
#@@§&$;«~, CLOSER.  SHE  LAUGHED AT  ME AGAIN,  AND ,~«;$&§@@#
@@§$;«,,,,                  SAID -                  ,,,,«;$§@@
§§&&;;««~,                                          ,~««;;&&§§
##@@&$;«~,                ;  ;  ;  ;                ,~«;$&@@##
@&&$««,,,,                                          ,,,,««$&&@
#@@§&$;«~, (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ,~«;$&§@@#
@§&&&$;«~,                                          ,~«;$&&&§@
§§§&;«,,,, ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,,,,«;&§§§
#@@§&$;«~,                                          ,~«;$&§@@#
##@@§$;«~,                                          ,~«;$§@@##
§&&&$;««~,                                          ,~««;$&&&§
#@@§&$;«~,                                          ,~«;$&§@@#
@§$;~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~;$§@