=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=
†=-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†
=†=-¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨-=†=
%=†=-¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨-=†=%
@%=†=-¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨-=†=%@
#@%=†=-¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨-=†=%@#
##@%=†=-¨¨ ¨¨-=†=%@##
###@%=†=-¨ 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) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-=
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-