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