%$/~-..... .....-~/$%
#%$/~-.... ....-~/$%#
##%$/~-... ...-~/$%##
###%$/~-.. ..-~/$%###
####%$/~-. .-~/$%####
###%$/~-.. //////////////////////////////////////// ..-~/$%###
##%$/~-... ...-~/$%##
#%$/~-.... MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ....-~/$%#
%$/~-..... .....-~/$%
$/~-...... / / / / ......-~/$
/~-....... .......-~/
~-........ 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) .......-~/
~-........ ........-~
/~-....... //////////////////////////////////////// .......-~/
$/~-...... ......-~/$
%$/~-..... .....-~/$%
#%$/~-.... ....-~/$%#
##%$/~-... ...-~/$%##
###%$/~-.. ..-~/$%###