#@$**=,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,=**$@#
@@**===¨¨¨ ¨¨¨===**@@
#@#@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@#@#
@@$$$*==,¨ ¨,==*$$$@@
##@*====,¨ ¨,====*@##
##$$=,,¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨,,=$$##
##@@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@@##
@@#@$*==,¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨,==*$@#@@
@@#@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@#@@
###@$*==,¨ = = = = ¨,==*$@###
##@#$*==,¨ ¨,==*$#@##
@*====,¨¨¨ 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 ¨¨,,=***@@
#@#@$*==,¨ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ¨,==*$@#@#
#@#@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@#@#
#$**==¨¨¨¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨¨¨¨==**$#
@$=,,¨¨¨¨¨ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ¨¨¨¨¨,,=$@
@#$$$*==,¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ¨,==*$$$#@
#@#@$*==,¨ SAID - ¨,==*$@#@#
##@#@*==,¨ ¨,==*@#@##
#$$$**==,¨ = = = = ¨,==**$$$#
##@#@*==,¨ ¨,==*@#@##
#$$$$*==,¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨,==*$$$$#
@@#@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@#@@
###@$*==,¨ ======================================== ¨,==*$@###
##@#$*==,¨ ¨,==*$#@##
#@#@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@#@#
#@#@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@#@#
@*===,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,===*@
###@$*==,¨ ¨,==*$@###