¶&%†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†%&¶
&%†=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=†%&
¶&%†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†%&¶
#¶&%†=~,,, ,,,~=†%&¶#
##¶&%†=~,, ,,~=†%&¶##
#¶&%†=~,,, ======================================== ,,,~=†%&¶#
¶&%†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†%&¶
&%†=~,,,,, 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) ,,,,~=†%&¶
#¶&%†=~,,, ,,,~=†%&¶#
##¶&%†=~,, ======================================== ,,~=†%&¶##
#¶&%†=~,,, ,,,~=†%&¶#
¶&%†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†%&¶
&%†=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=†%&
¶&%†=~,,,, ,,,,~=†%&¶
#¶&%†=~,,, ,,,~=†%&¶#