###&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%##
@@#&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%@@
###&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%##
#@#&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%@#
&*---¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨---*&
###&%*=-:¨ ======================================== ¨:-=*%##
#&*===-¨¨¨ ¨¨¨-===*
&&%=::¨¨¨¨ 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) ¨:-=**%%#@
#@#&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%@#
@##&%*=-:¨ ======================================== ¨:-=*%#@
#@#&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%@#
&&&*-::::¨ ¨::::-*&&&
###&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%##
#@#&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%@#
#@#&%*=-:¨ ¨:-=*%@#