,:=/%%%%&@ @&%%%%/=:,
,:=/%*&£@# #@£&*%/=:,
,,,,::/*&& &&*/::,,,,
,:::::=%&& &&%=:::::,
,:=/%*&£@# #@£&*%/=:,
,:=/%*&£@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@£&*%/=:,
,:=////**£ £**////=:,
,:=/%*&£@# 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) £££&*%/=:,
,:::=/**&£ £&**/=:::,
,:=/%*&£@@ //////////////////////////////////////// @@£&*%/=:,
,:=/%*&£@# #@£&*%/=:,
,:=/%***&& &&***%/=:,
,:=/%*&£@# #@£&*%/=:,
,,,,:/*&&& &&&*/:,,,,
,:=/%*&£## ##£&*%/=:,