##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
¤*--¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨--*¤
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
##@¤$*=-.¨ ======================================== ¨.-=*$¤@##
¤¤$$$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$$$¤¤
###¤$*=-.¨ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES ¨.-=*$¤###
¤¤¤**==-.¨ ¨.-==**¤¤¤
###@¤*=-.¨ = = = = ¨.-=*¤@###
@$==.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.==$@
@$*---¨¨¨¨ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE ¨¨¨¨---*$@
##@¤$*=-.¨ SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN ¨.-=*$¤@##
@@@¤$*=-.¨ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / ¨.-=*$¤@@@
##@¤$*=-.¨ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY ¨.-=*$¤@##
¤*=.¨¨¨¨¨¨ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨-*¤¤@
¤¤¤¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤¤¤¤
#@¤$=-¨¨¨¨ SHE LAY DOWN IN A PATCH OF GRASS. I SAT ¨¨¨¨-=$¤@#
###¤$*=-.¨ DOWN ON MY KNEES, AND THEN CRAWLED ¨.-=*$¤###
##@¤$*=-.¨ CLOSER. SHE LAUGHED AT ME AGAIN, AND ¨.-=*$¤@##
##@¤$*=-.¨ SAID - ¨.-=*$¤@##
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
##@¤$*=-.¨ = = = = ¨.-=*$¤@##
###@$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$@###
@@@¤$*=-.¨ (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) ¨.-=*$¤@@@
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
@$$=...¨¨¨ ======================================== ¨¨¨...=$$@
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
#¤*-.¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨.-*¤#
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##
#¤$==.¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨.==$¤#
##@¤$*=-.¨ ¨.-=*$¤@##