&.....&&&. &&...&...&
.&....&..& ..&..&&..&
&&&...&&.& &.&&.&.&.&
...&..&.&& .&&.&&&&&&
&..&&.&&&. .&.&&.....
&&.&.&&..& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† .&&&.&....
&.&&&&.&.& &&..&&&...
&&&...&&&& 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) ..&&.&.&.&
.&&...&&.& &.&.&&&&&&
&&.&..&.&& †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† &&&&&.....
&.&&&.&&&. &....&....
&&&..&&..& &&...&&...
&..&.&.&.& &.&..&.&..
&&.&&&&&&& .&&&.&&&&.
&.&&...... &&..&&...&