¨,~^=%@#@# #@#@%=^~,¨
¨,~~~^%@## ##@%^~~~,¨
¨,~^=@#@## ##@#@=^~,¨
¨,~^=%@##@ @##@%=^~,¨
¨,~^=%@#@# #@#@%=^~,¨
¨,~^=%@#@# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #@#@%=^~,¨
¨,~^=%@#@# #@#@%=^~,¨
¨,~^=%@### 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) #%^,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^^^=%#@ @#%=^^^~,¨
¨,~^=%@#@# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #@#@%=^~,¨
¨,~^=%@#@# #@#@%=^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨~^%%@ @%%^~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~==@ @==~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,~^=%@#@# #@#@%=^~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~^%# #%^~¨¨¨¨¨¨