........~~ ~~........
.......~~/ /~~.......
......~~/† †/~~......
.....~~/†& &†/~~.....
....~~/†&@ @&†/~~....
...~~/†&@@ //////////////////////////////////////// @@&†/~~...
..~~/†&@@# #@@&†/~~..
.~~/†&@@## 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) ~~........
.......~~/ /~~.......
......~~/† //////////////////////////////////////// †/~~......
.....~~/†& &†/~~.....
....~~/†&@ @&†/~~....
...~~/†&@@ @@&†/~~...
..~~/†&@@# #@@&†/~~..
.~~/†&@@## ##@@&†/~~.