###%†==:,, ,,:==†%###
##%†==:,,, ,,,:==†%##
#%†==:,,,, ,,,,:==†%#
%†==:,,,,, ,,,,,:==†%
†==:,,,,,, ,,,,,,:==†
==:,,,,,,, ======================================== ,,,,,,,:==
=:,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,:=
==:,,,,,,, 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) ,,,,:==†%#
##%†==:,,, ,,,:==†%##
###%†==:,, ======================================== ,,:==†%###
####%†==:, ,:==†%####
###%†==:,, ,,:==†%###
##%†==:,,, ,,,:==†%##
#%†==:,,,, ,,,,:==†%#
%†==:,,,,, ,,,,,:==†%