,,,,,,,,^« «^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^«= =«^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^«=% %=«^,,,,,,
,,,,,^«=%£ £%=«^,,,,,
,,,,^«=%£§ §£%=«^,,,,
,,,^«=%£§# ======================================== #§£%=«^,,,
,,^«=%£§## ##§£%=«^,,
,^«=%£§### 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) «^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,^«= =«^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,^«=% ======================================== %=«^,,,,,,
,,,,,^«=%£ £%=«^,,,,,
,,,,^«=%£§ §£%=«^,,,,
,,,^«=%£§# #§£%=«^,,,
,,^«=%£§## ##§£%=«^,,
,^«=%£§### ###§£%=«^,