¨¨¨¨:»/$## ##$/»:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨://$$$@ @$$$//:¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@@@@ @@@@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@### ###@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»»»/$$$# //////////////////////////////////////// #$$$/»»»:¨
¨¨¨:»»%@@# #@@%»»:¨¨¨
¨¨¨:»%$$#@ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES @#$$%»:¨¨¨
¨:»/%$$$$@ @$$$$%/»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:/$@ / / / / @$/:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@#@# #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@@## SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ##@@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»»/%%$@@ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY @@$%%/»»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE #@#@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨¨:»/%$@ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING @$%/»:¨¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@#@# BEHIND THE CLOTHES RACK? OOF!" HE'D #@#@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨:/%%$#@ SAY. HE WAS ALWAYS VERY CREEPY ABOUT @#$%%/:¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@### THIS, GOING FOR GIRLS MY AGE. ###@$%/»:¨
¨:»»//$$@# #@$$//»»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@@ THIS NIGHT HE HAD JUST TRIED TO WOO A @@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@@ GIRL HE CALLED A "MOUSE" BY BUYING HER @@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# SHOES, BUT SHE HAD ACCEPTED THEM ONLY #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# TO RUN AWAY IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARD. DAD #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# WAS A BIT BUMMED BUT DROPPED IT #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# QUICKLY. I SAID GOODNIGHT TO HIM AND #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# WENT LOOKING FOR THE MOUSE. #@#@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨¨:»»/%@ @%/»»:¨¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@#@# THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS AND MAZELIKE. #@#@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:/$$@ 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 ##$$$%/»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:/$@ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND @$/:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨::/%@@ SAID - @@%/::¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:/$@ @$/:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@#@# / / / / #@#@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨»»%$$## ##$$%»»¨¨¨
¨¨¨::/$@## (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ##@$/::¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@### ###@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# //////////////////////////////////////// #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@#@# #@#@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨»»///$@ @$///»»¨¨¨
¨:»/%$@#@# #@#@$%/»:¨
¨:»/%$@### ###@$%/»:¨
¨¨¨¨:»»%@# #@%»»:¨¨¨¨