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