¨-~\†@§#@# #@#§@†\~-¨
¨-~\†@§@## ##@§@†\~-¨
¨-~\†@§#@# #@#§@†\~-¨
¨-~\†@§#@@ @@#§@†\~-¨
¨-~\†@§§#@ @#§§@†\~-¨
¨¨--~\\†§@ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ @§†\\~--¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-\†§ §†\-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨--~\\\\†§ 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) @##§@†\~-¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-\@§ §@\-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨--~\\@@# \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ #@@\\~--¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†§ §†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨-~†@§# #§@†~-¨¨¨¨
¨¨--~\†@§# #§@†\~--¨¨
¨¨¨¨-\††§§ §§††\-¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨-~†§ §†~-¨¨¨¨¨¨