,:«=%@&&&@ @&&&@%=«:,
,,,,:«%@&@ @&@%«:,,,,
,,,,:««=@& &@=««:,,,,
,,,,««=@&& &&@=««,,,,
,:«=%@&@@# #@@&@%=«:,
,:«=%@&@@# ======================================== #@@&@%=«:,
,:«=%@&@@# #@@&@%=«:,
,,,:=%%@&@ 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) #@@&@%=«:,
,:«=%@&@@# #@@&@%=«:,
,:«=%@@&&@ ======================================== @&&@@%=«:,
,:«««««%&@ @&%«««««:,
,:«=%@&@@# #@@&@%=«:,
,:«=%@&&@@ @@&&@%=«:,
,:«=%@&@@# #@@&@%=«:,
,:«=%@&@@@ @@@&@%=«:,