,,,,^«=%*¤ ¤*%=«^,,,,
,,,,,^«=%* *%=«^,,,,,
,,,,,,^«=% %=«^,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^«= =«^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^« «^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ ======================================== ^,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ 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) «^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^«= =«^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^«=% ======================================== %=«^,,,,,,
,,,,,^«=%* *%=«^,,,,,
,,,,^«=%*¤ ¤*%=«^,,,,
,,,^«=%*¤# #¤*%=«^,,,
,,^«=%*¤## ##¤*%=«^,,
,^«=%*¤### ###¤*%=«^,