¨¨¨¨^~†%¤@ @¤%†~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~†%¤ ¤%†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†% %†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† 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) @¤%†~^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^~†%¤ ¤%†~^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^~†% †††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† %†~^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^ ^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~ ~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^~† †~^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨