¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ ^ ^ ^ ^ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# AND TALLER THAN A PERSON. IN EACH VASE #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ WAS PLACED UPRIGHT A LEAF FROM A PALM @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# TREE OR GIANT FERN. THE BOULEVARD WAS #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE. #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# ^ ^ ^ ^ #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# FOLLOWING THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ I FOUND HER CRYING BEHIND TWO FERN @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# VASES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND AS I #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# IN THE NEAREST VASE SHE HAD STUFFED #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ BOTH THE SHOES. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ I TOLD HER TO FOLLOW, BUT SHE DIDN'T @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# MOVE OR SPEAK. SO INSTEAD I SAID TO #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET HER A BETTER @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# PAIR OF SHOES THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ LIKE. WHEN I RETURNED, HAVING SPENT @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# MORE THAN I COULD REALLY AFFORD, SHE #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# COOL, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "WHAT DO #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# SAID - #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# ^ ^ ^ ^ #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨~-^*$@#@# #@#@$*^-~¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-^*$@# #@$*^-~¨¨¨
¨¨~-^*$@#@ @#@$*^-~¨¨