¨^-^§@@@§@ @§@@@§^-^¨
¨¨^^^-^@@@ @@@^-^^^¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨--§@§ §@§--¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^^^@§ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ §@^^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@## 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) §@@^^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^^^§§§# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #§§§^^^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨¨¨¨^^@§§@ @§§@^^¨¨¨¨
¨^-^§@§@## ##@§@§^-^¨
¨¨¨¨--^§§§ §§§^--¨¨¨¨