###§¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤§###
###§¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤§###
##§%%~,,,, ,,,,~%%§##
###§¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤§###
##¤%%%\~~, ,~~\%%%¤##
#¤%%\~~,,, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ,,,~~\%%¤#
###§¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤§###
###§¤%\~~, 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) ,~~\%¤§###
§¤%\~,,,,, ,,,,,~\%¤§
§¤¤¤%%\~~, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ,~~\%%¤¤¤§
####¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤####
##¤¤¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤¤¤##
#§%~~~~~,, ,,~~~~~%§#
###§¤%\~~, ,~~\%¤§###
#§¤¤\~~~~, ,~~~~\¤¤§#