¨~=/%%@@## ##@@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@¶@# #@¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@¶¶¶ ¶¶¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%%%@¶ ¶@%%%%/=~¨
¨~===%%%%@ @%%%%===~¨
¨¨¨¨=/%%@¶ //////////////////////////////////////// ¶@%%/=¨¨¨¨
¨~=/%%@¶@# #@¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@¶@# 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) @%//~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨=%%@@ @@%%=¨¨¨¨¨
¨~~===/%%¶ //////////////////////////////////////// ¶%%/===~~¨
¨~=/%%@¶@# #@¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@¶@@ @@¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@¶@# #@¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@¶@# #@¶@%%/=~¨
¨~=/%%@@## ##@@%%/=~¨