,:«\%&#@## ##@#&%\«:,
,:«\%&#@## ##@#&%\«:,
,,,,:\%&@@ @@&%\:,,,,
:«\%&#@### ###@#&%\«:
,:«\%&#@## ##@#&%\«:,
,,,,,:\&@@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @@&\:,,,,,
,:«\%&#@## ##@#&%\«:,
,,,,:«%%## 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) #@##&%\«:,
,,,,,:«%## ##%«:,,,,,
,,,:«%%%## \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ##%%%«:,,,
,,,:«\%#@@ @@#%\«:,,,
,,,,:«\%## ##%\«:,,,,
,:«\%&#@## ##@#&%\«:,
,:«\%&#@## ##@#&%\«:,
,,,,,,««%# #%««,,,,,,