,,»=$%%%%¤ ¤%%%%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»$%¤@### ###@¤%$»,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤¤@# ======================================== #@¤¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ##@¤%$=»,,
,,,,,,=%¤# #¤%=,,,,,,
,,,,»»$%¤¤ = = = = ¤¤%$»»,,,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,
,,,,,==$$¤ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¤$$==,,,,,
,,,,,=$¤¤@ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN @¤¤$=,,,,,
,,»=$%¤@## A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»===%%¤# 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 ¤%=,,,,,,,
,,,,=$%%¤¤ AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM ¤¤%%$=,,,,
,,,,,,,=$¤ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ¤$=,,,,,,,
,,»=$%¤@@# #@@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ##@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$$$%¤@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @¤%$$$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## SAID - ##@¤%$=»,,
,,,,,»=$¤# #¤$=»,,,,,
,,»=$%@### = = = = ###@%$=»,,
,,,,,,»=%@ @%=»,,,,,,
,,,,,»=$¤# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #¤$=»,,,,,
,,»=$%¤### ###¤%$=»,,
,,,,,,»$¤# ======================================== #¤$»,,,,,,
,,»=$%¤@@# #@@¤%$=»,,
,,»=$¤@### ###@¤$=»,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,
,,,,»»$$¤@ @¤$$»»,,,,
,,»=$%¤@## ##@¤%$=»,,