#§§%^^,,,, ,,,,^^%§§#
§§^^^,,,,, ,,,,,^^^§§
##@§%§^~^, ,^~^§%§@##
###@§%§^~^ ^~^§%§@###
##@§%§^~^, ,^~^§%§@##
@@@§%§^~^, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,^~^§%§@@@
#@@§%§^~^, ,^~^§%§@@#
##@§%§^~^, 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) ,,,,,~§§§#
§%§§~~~~^, ,^~~~~§§%§
##@§%§^~^, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ,^~^§%§@##
§%%^^^^^^, ,^^^^^^%%§
#@%§^^^,,, ,,,^^^§%@#
@§§§%§^~^, ,^~^§%§§§@
@§§^^^,,,, ,,,,^^^§§@
##@§%§^~^, ,^~^§%§@##