,,-:%%%@@@ @@@%%%:-,,
,,-:%%@@## ##@@%%:-,,
,,-:%%@@@@ @@@@%%:-,,
,,-:%%@@## ##@@%%:-,,
,,-:::::%@ @%:::::-,,
,,,,,,-%@@ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: @@%-,,,,,,
,,,,,--%%@ @%%--,,,,,
,,-:%%@@## 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) ##@@%%:-,,
,,-:%%@@## ##@@%%:-,,
,,-:%%@@## :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ##@@%%:-,,
,,,,--%%@@ @@%%--,,,,
,,-:%%@@@@ @@@@%%:-,,
,,,,,,,-%@ @%-,,,,,,,
,,-:%%@@## ##@@%%:-,,
,,-:%%@@## ##@@%%:-,,