¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨¨¨¨--*#@# #@#*--¨¨¨¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨¨¨¨¨-;*%@ @%*;-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨--;;*%#@ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; @#%*;;--¨¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨--;*%#@## 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) ##@#%*;--¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨¨¨¨¨--;%@ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; @%;--¨¨¨¨¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨--;*%#### ####%*;--¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨--;*%#@## ##@#%*;--¨
¨--;*%%%@@ @@%%%*;--¨