##@&£%:=,. .,=:%£&@##
#@&£%:=,.. ..,=:%£&@#
@&£%:=,... ...,=:%£&@
&£%:=,.... ....,=:%£&
£%:=,..... .....,=:%£
%:=,...... :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ......,=:%
:=,....... .......,=:
=,........ 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) .........,
.......... ..........
,......... :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: .........,
=,........ ........,=
:=,....... .......,=:
%:=,...... ......,=:%
£%:=,..... .....,=:%£
&£%:=,.... ....,=:%£&