¨¨,««==^%@ @%^==««,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨«=%%@ @%%=«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,««^@@ @@^««,¨¨¨¨
¨,«=^%@@@# #@@@%^=«,¨
¨¨¨¨,,=%@# #@%=,,¨¨¨¨
¨,«=^%@@## ======================================== ##@@%^=«,¨
¨¨¨,,=%@@# #@@%=,,¨¨¨
¨,«=^%@### 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) @^«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«=^%@### ###@%^=«,¨
¨,«=^%@@## ======================================== ##@@%^=«,¨
¨,«=^%@@## ##@@%^=«,¨
¨,«=^%@@## ##@@%^=«,¨
¨¨¨¨««^%@@ @@%^««¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«^%@@ @@%^«,¨¨¨¨
¨,«=^%@@## ##@@%^=«,¨