###@§^^~^. .^~^^§@###
#@@^~^.... ....^~^@@#
##@#@§^~^. .^~^§@#@##
##@@@§^~^. .^~^§@@@##
#@@@@§^~^. .^~^§@@@@#
##@#@§^~^. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .^~^§@#@##
@@^~...... ......~^@@
##@@§~~~^. 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) .^~^^^§###
####@§^~^. .^~^§@####
##@#@§^~^. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .^~^§@#@##
#@##@§^~^. .^~^§@##@#
##@#@§^~^. .^~^§@#@##
##@#@§^~^. .^~^§@#@##
#@##@§^~^. .^~^§@##@#
@@@^^^^... ...^^^^@@@