.....~%@§¶ ¶§@%~.....
....~%@§¶@ @¶§@%~....
...~%@§¶@# #@¶§@%~...
..~%@§¶@## ##@¶§@%~..
...~%@§¶@# #@¶§@%~...
....~%@§¶@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @¶§@%~....
.....~%@§¶ ¶§@%~.....
......~%@§ 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) @%~.......
........~% %~........
.......~%@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @%~.......
......~%@§ §@%~......
.....~%@§¶ ¶§@%~.....
....~%@§¶@ @¶§@%~....
...~%@§¶@# #@¶§@%~...
..~%@§¶@## ##@¶§@%~..