¨,-^^$$#@@ @@#$$^^-,¨
¨¨,,^^^### ###^^^,,¨¨
¨,-^^$#@@# #@@#$^^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨-^$## ##$^-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,-^^$# #$^^-,¨¨¨¨
¨,-^^$#@@@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @@@#$^^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-^#@ @#^-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,-^^^#@ 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 #^^--,¨¨¨¨
¨,-^^$#@## THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ##@#$^^-,¨
¨,-^^^^^^# #^^^^^^-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,^$## SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ##$^,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-^^^^$$@ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED @$$^^^^-,¨
¨,-^^$#@@# CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND #@@#$^^-,¨
¨,-^^^$$#@ SAID - @#$$^^^-,¨
¨,-^^$#@## ##@#$^^-,¨
¨,-^^$#@@@ ^ ^ ^ ^ @@@#$^^-,¨
¨,-^^^^^$# #$^^^^^-,¨
¨,-^^$@@## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##@@$^^-,¨
¨,-^$#@@## ##@@#$^-,¨
¨,-^^$#@@# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #@@#$^^-,¨
¨¨¨¨,^^$@@ @@$^^,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨-^##@ @##^-¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨,--^$##@ @##$^--,¨¨
¨,-^^$#@@# #@@#$^^-,¨
¨,-^^$#@@# #@@#$^^-,¨