¤%%:~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~:%%¤
##@¤¤%:~~¨ ¨~~:%¤¤@##
##@¤¤%:~~¨ ¨~~:%¤¤@##
##@¤¤%:~~¨ ¨~~:%¤¤@##
¤¤¤%~~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~~%¤¤¤
#@¤%~~~¨¨¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨¨¨~~~%¤@#
¤¤%%~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~%%¤¤
@¤%%:::~~¨ 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) ¨~~:%¤¤@##
¤¤¤¤%~~~~¨ ¨~~~~%¤¤¤¤
@¤¤¤%:~~~¨ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ¨~~~:%¤¤¤@
@¤%~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~%¤@
##@¤¤%:~~¨ ¨~~:%¤¤@##
¤%%%%%:~~¨ ¨~~:%%%%%¤
##@¤¤%:~~¨ ¨~~:%¤¤@##
#@@¤¤%:~~¨ ¨~~:%¤¤@@#