.&&&&&&.&& .&.&.&&&&.
.&.....&&. .&&&&&...&
&&&....&.& .&....&..&
...&...&&& &&&...&&.&
&..&&..&.. ...&..&.&&
.&.&.&.&&. ======================================== &..&&.&&&.
.&&&&&&&.& &&.&.&&..&
&&......&& 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) &....&.&..
&&...&&..& .&...&&&&.
&.&..&.&.& ======================================== .&&..&...&
.&&&.&&&&& .&.&.&&..&
&&..&&.... .&&&&&.&.&
..&.&.&... .&....&&&&
&.&&&&&&.. .&&...&...
&&&.....&. .&.&..&&..