¨,-\%%@### ###@%%\-,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,--%@ @%--,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,-\%%@### ###@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%@### ###@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%@@@# #@@@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%@### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%@### ###@%%\-,¨
¨,,,--\%@@ 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) ###@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%@### ###@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%@### \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ###@%%\-,¨
¨,-\%%%%## ##%%%%\-,¨
¨,-\\\\%%@ @%%\\\\-,¨
¨,-\%%@### ###@%%\-,¨
¨¨¨¨-%%%## ##%%%-¨¨¨¨
¨,-\\\%@## ##@%\\\-,¨