,.«*$$#@## ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# **************************************** #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# * * * * #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## WALLS, FLOORS AND PILLARS WERE SET IN ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# GREEN MARBLE. THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE RAN #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ A MAIN BOULEVARD, WIDE AS A STREET, @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# FRAMED WITH CLAY VASES DARK AS OBSIDIAN #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ AND TALLER THAN A PERSON. IN EACH VASE @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# WAS PLACED UPRIGHT A LEAF FROM A PALM #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## TREE OR GIANT FERN. THE BOULEVARD WAS ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# DIMLY LIT, WHICH ALLOWED THE POOLS THAT #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ WERE GENEROUSLY SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# EACH FLOOR WOULD REFLECT SUGGESTIVE #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ PATTERNS ON THE MARBLE. @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## * * * * ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ FOLLOWING THE BOULEVARD, TWO FLOORS UP @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# I FOUND HER CRYING BEHIND TWO FERN #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ VASES. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL, AND AS I @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# APPROACHED, SHE LOOKED UP AND SNIVELED. #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## IN THE NEAREST VASE SHE HAD STUFFED ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# BOTH THE SHOES. #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# I TOLD HER TO FOLLOW, BUT SHE DIDN'T #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ MOVE OR SPEAK. SO INSTEAD I SAID TO @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# STAY THERE, AND RAN TO GET HER A BETTER #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## PAIR OF SHOES THAT SHE WOULD ACTUALLY ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# LIKE. WHEN I RETURNED, HAVING SPENT #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ MORE THAN I COULD REALLY AFFORD, SHE @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# WAS VISIBLY IMPRESSED. I TRIED TO SOUND #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ COOL, SAYING SOMETHING LIKE "WHAT DO @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# YOU THINK, JUST BECAUSE A GIRL HAS A #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## FREAKY DAD, SHE DOESN'T HAVE TASTE?" ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# BUT MOUSE GIRL JUST LAUGHED AT ME. #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# SHE THEN TOOK ME BY THE HAND AND LED ME #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ OUT A SIDE ROUTE TO A CLOSED-OFF @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# ROOFTOP WALKING GARDEN, FULL OF JUNIPER #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## AND THUJA. IT WAS A LATE EVENING, AND ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# THE STARS WERE GLITTERING. BEING #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ CLOSED, THE GARDEN HAD ITS LIGHT TURNED @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# OFF, BUT WE COULD STILL SEE OUR WAY #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ AROUND BY THE LIGHT SHINING DOWN FROM @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# THE WINDOWS OF THE HIGHER FLOORS. #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ SAID - @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## * * * * ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# #$$*«.,,,,
,,,.«*$$#@ **************************************** @#$$*«.,,,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,.«*$$#@## ##@#$$*«.,
,,.«*$$#@# #@#$$*«.,,
,,,.«*$$#@ @#$$*«.,,,
,,,,.«*$$# #$$*«.,,,,