¨.~;**$@@@ @@@$**;~.¨
¨.~;*$@@@@ @@@@$*;~.¨
¨.~;;**$@@ @@$**;;~.¨
¨.~;*$@@## ##@@$*;~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*$@@ @@$*~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~;*$@@@@ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; @@@@$*;~.¨
¨.~;*$@@@# #@@@$*;~.¨
¨.~;*$@@@@ MOUSE GIRL LIKES SHOES @@@@$*;~.¨
¨.~;*@@@## ##@@@*;~.¨
¨¨¨¨~~**$@ ; ; ; ; @$**~~¨¨¨¨
¨.~;*$@@## ##@@$*;~.¨
¨¨¨¨~;*$$@ IN THIS DREAM I WAS A GIRL OF MAYBE @$$*;~¨¨¨¨
¨.~;*$@@@# SIXTEEN YEARS, TOGETHER WITH MY DAD IN #@@@$*;~.¨
¨¨¨.~;*$@@ A HUGE BATH HOUSE / SPA / HOTEL / @@$*;~.¨¨¨
¨¨¨..;;$@@ SHOPPING CENTRE. DAD WAS CONSTATLY @@$;;..¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~;*$@ POINTING OUT HOT GIRLS TO ME. "YOU SEE @$*;~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨.;$@ THAT BLACK-HAIRED THING DISSAPEARING @$;.¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨.~;;**@@ 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 - @$$;..¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.;;$@ @$;;.¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~;*$@@@# ; ; ; ; #@@@$*;~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*$@ @$*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~;*$@@@# (HERE I AM AWAKENED BY THE MORNING CREW) #@@@$*;~.¨
¨.~;*$$@@@ @@@$$*;~.¨
¨..~;;***@ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; @***;;~..¨
¨.~;*$@@@# #@@@$*;~.¨
¨¨¨.~~;$@@ @@$;~~.¨¨¨
¨.~;*$@@@# #@@@$*;~.¨
¨.~;*$@@@@ @@@@$*;~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~*$@@ @@$*~¨¨¨¨¨