##%««--,,, ,,,--««%##
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
#####$;«-, ,-«;$#####
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
##$$%««,,, ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,,,««%$$##
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
####$%;«-, MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ,-«;%$####
##%%«-,,,, ,,,,-«%%##
##%;«,,,,, ; ; ; ; ,,,,,«;%##
#$;;;««,,, ,,,««;;;$#
#$;;;-,,,, IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ,,,,-;;;$#
####$%;«-, SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ,-«;%$####
####$%;«-, A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ,-«;%$####
##%%«-,,,, 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 - ,,,-«««;%#
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
####$%;«-, ; ; ; ; ,-«;%$####
#%%%;--,,, ,,,--;%%%#
####$%;«-, (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ,-«;%$####
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
##%%%;---, ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ,---;%%%##
#$%;««--,, ,,--««;%$#
#$%;;--,,, ,,,--;;%$#
###$%%;«-, ,-«;%%$###
####$%;«-, ,-«;%$####
#%«««-,,,, ,,,,-«««%#