¨~~^^%§### ###§%^^~~¨
¨~~^^%§### ###§%^^~~¨
¨~~^^^%%§# #§%%^^^~~¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~^^§ §^^~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~^^%§### ###§%^^~~¨
¨¨¨¨~~^%§# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ #§%^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~^%§§# #§§%^~¨¨¨¨
¨~~^^%§### 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) §^^^~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨~^^^^§# #§^^^^~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~^^%§§ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ §§%^^~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~^^%# #%^^~~¨¨¨¨
¨~~^^%§### ###§%^^~~¨
¨¨¨~~~~^^§ §^^~~~~¨¨¨
¨¨¨~~^^%%# #%%^^~~¨¨¨
¨~~^^%§### ###§%^^~~¨