¨¨¨¨¨:==¤@ @¤==:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:==¤ ¤==:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:== ==:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:= =:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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) @¤==:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:==¤ ¤==:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:== ======================================== ==:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:= =:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨: :¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨