^......... .........^
.......... ..........
^......... .........^
~^........ ........^~
*~^....... .......^~*
$*~^...... **************************************** ......^~*$
§$*~^..... .....^~*$§
#§$*~^.... MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ....^~*$§#
##§$*~^... ...^~*$§##
###§$*~^.. * * * * ..^~*$§###
####§$*~^. .^~*$§####
###§$*~^.. IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ..^~*$§###
##§$*~^... SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ...^~*$§##
#§$*~^.... A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ....^~*$§#
§$*~^..... SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY .....^~*$§
$*~^...... POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ......^~*$
*~^....... 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 - .......^~*
$*~^...... ......^~*$
§$*~^..... * * * * .....^~*$§
#§$*~^.... ....^~*$§#
##§$*~^... (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ...^~*$§##
###§$*~^.. ..^~*$§###
####§$*~^. **************************************** .^~*$§####
###§$*~^.. ..^~*$§###
##§$*~^... ...^~*$§##
#§$*~^.... ....^~*$§#
§$*~^..... .....^~*$§
$*~^...... ......^~*$