,,,::::$¤@ @¤$::::,,,
,,,,:~:**¤ ¤**:~:,,,,
,:~:$*¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤*$:~:,
,:~:$*¤@@@ @@@¤*$:~:,
,:~:$*¤@@# #@@¤*$:~:,
,,,,,,::*@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @*::,,,,,,
,,,,,,~$$¤ ¤$$~,,,,,,
,:~:$*¤@## MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ##@¤*$:~:,
,:~:$$*¤¤@ @¤¤*$$:~:,
,:~:$*¤@@# : : : : #@@¤*$:~:,
,:~:$***¤¤ ¤¤***$:~:,
,:~:$$***@ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE @***$$:~:,
,,,:::$¤@@ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN @@¤$:::,,,
,,,,,::$¤@ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / @¤$::,,,,,
,:~:*¤@@## 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 @*:~,,,,,,
,:~:$*¤@@# DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED #@@¤*$:~:,
,:~:$*¤@@# CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND #@@¤*$:~:,
,,,,,:~$¤@ SAID - @¤$~:,,,,,
,:~:$*¤@@# #@@¤*$:~:,
,,,~::$¤¤@ : : : : @¤¤$::~,,,
,,,,:~$$¤@ @¤$$~:,,,,
,:~:$*¤@@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@@¤*$:~:,
,:~:$*¤@@# #@@¤*$:~:,
,:~:$*¤@@# :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: #@@¤*$:~:,
,,,,,:~:*¤ ¤*:~:,,,,,
,,::~:$$*@ @*$$:~::,,
,:~:$*¤@@# #@@¤*$:~:,
,,,,::**@@ @@**::,,,,
,,,,,,,~$¤ ¤$~,,,,,,,