###@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@###
@*^^^-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-^^^*@
##@@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@@##
#@@%%*^--¨ ¨--^*%%@@#
##@@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@@##
##@@%*^--¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨--^*%@@##
###@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@###
@%%%*^^--¨ 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) ¨--^*%@@##
@**^^--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--^^**@
##@@%*^--¨ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ¨--^*%@@##
@@%^--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--^%@@
##@@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@@##
@@@@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@@@@
##@@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@@##
###@%*^--¨ ¨--^*%@###