,,,«*†££## ##££†*«,,,
,,«*†££### ###££†*«,,
,,,«*†££## ##££†*«,,,
,,,,«*†££# #££†*«,,,,
,,,,,«*†££ ££†*«,,,,,
,,,,,,«*†£ **************************************** £†*«,,,,,,
,,,,,,,«*† †*«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,«* 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) †*«,,,,,,,
,,,,,,«*†£ £†*«,,,,,,
,,,,,«*†££ **************************************** ££†*«,,,,,
,,,,«*†££# #££†*«,,,,
,,,«*†££## ##££†*«,,,
,,«*†££### ###££†*«,,
,,,«*†££## ##££†*«,,,
,,,,«*†££# #££†*«,,,,