@%*\«..... .....«\*%@
##@#%*\«,. .,«\*%#@##
@@@#%*\«,. .,«\*%#@@@
#*«....... .......«*#
#@@#%*\«,. .,«\*%#@@#
@%%\«,.... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ....,«\%%@
@@@#%*\«,. .,«\*%#@@@
##*\«««,.. 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) .,«\*%#@@#
#*\\«,.... ....,«\\*#
#*««...... \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ......««*#
#%%%\,.... ....,\%%%#
@##%*\«... ...«\*%##@
##%\\«,,.. ..,,«\\%##
#@@#%*\«,. .,«\*%#@@#
#@@#%*\«,. .,«\*%#@@#