¤¤****\~-. .-~\****¤¤
¤¤*\~~~... ...~~~\*¤¤
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
###¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤###
@¤¤*~-.... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ....-~*¤¤@
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
###¤$*\~-. MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES .-~\*$¤###
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
@@¤$$*\~-. \ \ \ \ .-~\*$$¤@@
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
#@¤*\-.... 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 - .-~\*$¤@@#
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
@¤$\-..... \ \ \ \ .....-\$¤@
@¤**~~~... ...~~~**¤@
@$*\-..... (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) .....-\*$@
#¤¤$\~-... ...-~\$¤¤#
@¤$\-..... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ .....-\$¤@
¤*\~~~.... ....~~~\*¤
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##
@¤¤$*\~... ...~\*$¤¤@
##@¤$*\~-. .-~\*$¤@##