#@¶&@=;~.. ..~;=@&¶@#
&&&==~.... ....~==&&&
@&&==;;~.. ..~;;==&&@
#@¶&@=;~.. ..~;=@&¶@#
##@¶&@=;~. .~;=@&¶@##
¶¶@;~..... ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; .....~;@¶¶
@@¶&@=;~.. ..~;=@&¶@@
#@¶&@=;~.. 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) .......~=&
##@¶&@=~.. ..~=@&¶@##
&@;....... ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; .......;@&
¶@@;~..... .....~;@@¶
#@¶&@=;~.. ..~;=@&¶@#
##¶&@=;~.. ..~;=@&¶##
¶@===~.... ....~===@¶
&@@=;..... .....;=@@&