#@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@#
@@%%«¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨«%%@@
@@$%%*^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^*%%$@@
##@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@##
@@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@@
@@$*««¨¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨¨««*$@@
#@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@#
@$*^^¨¨¨¨¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨¨¨¨¨^^*$@
##@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@##
@%«^^^¨¨¨¨ * * * * ¨¨¨¨^^^«%@
#@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@#
@$%««^¨¨¨¨ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¨¨¨¨^««%$@
#@@@$%*«^¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ¨^«*%$@@@#
##@@@$%«^¨ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ¨^«%$@@@##
@@@@$%*«^¨ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨^«*%$@@@@
@$$$*^¨¨¨¨ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE ¨¨¨¨^*$$$@
#@@@$%*«^¨ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING ¨^«*%$@@@#
##@@$%*«^¨ BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D ¨^«*%$@@##
@@$%%**«^¨ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT ¨^«**%%$@@
#@@@$%*«^¨ THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ¨^«*%$@@@#
@@%*«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«*%@@
#@@@$%*«^¨ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A ¨^«*%$@@@#
#@@@$%*«^¨ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER ¨^«*%$@@@#
@@%%*«^^¨¨ 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 ¨^«*%$$@@@
#@@@$%*«^¨ THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING ¨^«*%$@@@#
@@@@$%*«^¨ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED ¨^«*%$@@@@
@@$*«^¨¨¨¨ OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY ¨¨¨¨^«*$@@
@%%%**^^¨¨ AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM ¨¨^^**%%%@
#@@@$%*«^¨ THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. ¨^«*%$@@@#
@%*^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^*%@
@%*««¨¨¨¨¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨¨¨¨¨««*%@
##@@$%*«^¨ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ¨^«*%$@@##
@@@@$%*«^¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ¨^«*%$@@@@
@@$*«^^¨¨¨ SAID - ¨¨¨^^«*$@@
@@$*«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«*$@@
#@@@$%*«^¨ * * * * ¨^«*%$@@@#
#@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@#
#@@@$%*«^¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨^«*%$@@@#
@@@$$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$$@@@
@@@$**«¨¨¨ **************************************** ¨¨¨«**$@@@
#@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@#
@@@@$%*«^¨ ¨^«*%$@@@@
@%%%«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«%%%@
##@@@$%«^¨ ¨^«%$@@@##
@@%%*«^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^«*%%@@