.....,~^*% %*^~,.....
....,~^*%§ §%*^~,....
...,~^*%§@ @§%*^~,...
..,~^*%§@@ @@§%*^~,..
.,~^*%§@@# #@@§%*^~,.
..,~^*%§@@ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ @@§%*^~,..
...,~^*%§@ @§%*^~,...
....,~^*%§ 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) %*^~,.....
......,~^* *^~,......
.......,~^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^~,.......
........,~ ~,........
........., ,.........
.......... ..........
........., ,.........
........,~ ~,........