@%*\«~.... ....~«\*%@
%*\«~..... .....~«\*%
*\«~...... ......~«\*
%*\«~..... .....~«\*%
@%*\«~.... ....~«\*%@
#@%*\«~... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ...~«\*%@#
##@%*\«~.. ..~«\*%@##
###@%*\«~. 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) ....~«\*%@
%*\«~..... .....~«\*%
*\«~...... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ......~«\*
%*\«~..... .....~«\*%
@%*\«~.... ....~«\*%@
#@%*\«~... ...~«\*%@#
##@%*\«~.. ..~«\*%@##
###@%*\«~. .~«\*%@###