¨¨¨^^^^^$& &$^^^^^¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&@## ##@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&### ###&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«$$&& &&$$«¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&@## ##@&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨««$& ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ &$««¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«$&@# #@&$«^¨¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&&&@ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES @&&&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨««^$& &$^««¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&@## ^ ^ ^ ^ ##@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@@@ @@@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@@# IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE #@@&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨«««^$&@ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN @&$^«««¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&@## A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ##@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@## SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ##@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@## POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ##@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&### THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ###&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@## BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ##@&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨¨^^^^$@ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT @$^^^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^^$&& THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. &&$^^^¨¨¨¨
¨^«^^$$$@# #@$$$^^«^¨
¨^«^^$$$&@ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A @&$$$^^«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«^$@ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER @$^«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨««$$&& SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY &&$$««¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨««^$$&& TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD &&$$^««¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&@## WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT ##@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$@### QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND ###@$$^«^¨
¨¨¨^^$$&&@ WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. @&&$$^^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^^«$&& &&$«^^¨¨¨¨
¨¨^^^$$$&@ THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. @&$$$^^^¨¨
¨^«^$$&@@# WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN #@@&$$^«^¨
¨¨^^^$$$$@ GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN @$$$$^^^¨¨
¨^^«^^^$@@ A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, @@$^^^«^^¨
¨^«^$$&@@@ 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) @&&$$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@@# #@@&$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@## ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ##@&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨^««^$&# #&$^««^¨¨¨
¨^«^$$$&@@ @@&$$$^«^¨
¨^«^$$&@## ##@&$$^«^¨
¨¨¨^^«^$&@ @&$^«^^¨¨¨
¨^«^$$&@@@ @@@&$$^«^¨