¨--*%%###@ @###%%*--¨
¨--*%%##@# #@##%%*--¨
¨¨¨¨--%### ###%--¨¨¨¨
¨¨----%%%# #%%%----¨¨
¨----%%%## ##%%%----¨
¨--*%%#@## **************************************** ##@#%%*--¨
¨--*%%##@# #@##%%*--¨
¨--*%%##@# 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) #%**-¨¨¨¨¨
¨-----*%%# #%%*-----¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨-%# **************************************** #%-¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--*%%##@# #@##%%*--¨
¨--*%%##@# #@##%%*--¨
¨¨¨¨-*%%%# #%%%*-¨¨¨¨
¨--*%%#### ####%%*--¨
¨--*%%##@# #@##%%*--¨