,~~**%¤@## ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# #@¤%**~~,,
,~~**%¤@## ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# #@¤%**~~,,
,~~**%¤@## ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# **************************************** #@¤%**~~,,
,~~**%¤@## ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# 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) ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# #@¤%**~~,,
,~~**%¤@## **************************************** ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# #@¤%**~~,,
,~~**%¤@## ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# #@¤%**~~,,
,~~**%¤@## ##@¤%**~~,
,,~~**%¤@# #@¤%**~~,,